Unusual Amiga applications and software

[Jeff]

As probably almost everyone here knows, the Amiga has had lots of "behind the scenes" roles over the years. Here are a few of the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Has anyone played with some really cool unusual Amiga software?

Airport display/information terminals (TWA for example used A4000T's - I have one)
Casino's used 1200's for Keno and ?
Nasa used Amiga's on the shuttle program as well as ?
Cable TV's Prevue channel as well as lots of behind the scene Toaster use
Movie Studios - probably mostly Toaster and Lightwave in the early days
Medical applications
Dental applications

I know I have only listed a few. Any lists been compiled anywhere? Does anyone collect this kind of stuff?

Cheers

[JimS]

Back in the day, I worked at an Amiga dealer. One of our customers used Amiga 3000s to layout their newspapers. At least they used Pagestream to do the typesetting and pasted it up in the traditional way. I wrote them a Cando deck to manage their classified ads. I also remember writing some sort of file converter to mangle text files from the Apple ][s used by the reporters into something more compatible with Amigas.

The local Planetarium used an Amiga 2000 for something related to the shows they gave. I don't know what software they used, they brought the machine in for repair once.

[Jeff]

Cool Stuff! That reminds me they were used in Laser control applications also.

[Drummerboy]

I receve any A4000 from plastic surgeon, then in the HD has any Patients Database Aplication, and other to modify images, you know, had pictures of patients boobs, nouses, scars, and others.

[Jeff]

I receve any A4000 from plastic surgeon, then in the HD has any Patients Database Aplication, and other to modify images, you know, had pictures of patients boobs, nouses, scars, and others.

Someone I met at a local Amiga dealer many years ago bought cadavers and sliced up frozen cross sections to be imaged in to some sort of medical school app. He said he used Amiga's exclusively although we didn't get in to the software. Not sure that job would work for me.

[runequester]

Recently read an article from an old Danish amiga magazine, and it was mentioning a swedish/norwegian hospital using amiga's pretty extensively at the time.

[kedawa]

I've heard rumours that Amigas were used in Lockheed and Boeing aircraft for a brief period.

[Cool_amigaN]

The Amiga was used extensively on the first illegal (pirate) porno TV channel of Athens (and Greece, in general). A funny moment was when the VHS porn movie ended it had always auto - rewind, however, in the meantime, the pub screen of 1.3 Workbench was broadcast across Athens, LOL. The leading technician that worked for that station then went to work for other (legal this time) privately held TV channels in Athens and rest of Greece. In most of them, he installed several amigas. I don't know what software he used them for though.

[MelbourneBen]

I've heard Amiga's were used on the Sydney monorail, not sure in what capacity (its been discussed else where on here). I think they were also used in Sydney or Brisbane (cant remember which) to display train times, an Amiga user on here actually sent me the program that was used, still got to check it out.

A colleague of mine here in Adelaide said a hotel here used a C64 on the reception desk well into this 2000's. It ran a small guest database.

[lassie]

Recently read an article from an old Danish amiga magazine, and it was mentioning a swedish/norwegian hospital using amiga's pretty extensively at the time.

Hi may i ask where you read that danish article :-)

[Fats]

I think I read somewhere that Amigas were used in a roller coaster to sync audio and light effects with the movement of the roller coaster.

[rockape]

Hi,

The Amiga 4000 I'm posting this on came from a local schools Art Department. The system had an A3630/50 Mhz card, 2 Meg Chip and 2 Meg fast as well as a VLab Card and "Art Department Pro" installed.

The Art Department students had produced lots of Graphics and Animations, some of which won national awards.

My daughter went to the school 12 years ago and introduced me to the Art teacher who I then became the "Amiga Tech".

I upgraded the system with an A3640 and more fast RAM.

When the Art Teacher left on retirement I asked the schools Head Master if I could buy the A4000 and he gave it to me as a thank you for the work I'd done on helping them.

The motherboard is now installed in an Elbox Tower with a Cyberstorm MKII/060, Mediator Voodoo Card and NIC.


Regards, Michael

aka rockape

[560SL]

A friend of mine bought a pile of A4000D from Scandic Hotels in early 2000. This is one of them. Not actually sure what they were using it for. It came with a S-VHS coverter card.

[chris]

A show on ITV ('The Chart Show' I think it was called) used Amigas for the video overlay information. There was a WB1.3-style pointer clicking on things on screen and they popped up. In the years before it was axed, the information overlay was changed to something a bit more modern - which I assume meant the Amiga they had controlling it was either retired or broke.

Northampton bus station information displays had a Guru Meditation showing when I was there once, so they were all controlled by Amigas.

There's a "famous Amiga uses" document/web site which lists a lot of these.

[gertsy]

I've heard Amiga's were used on the Sydney monorail, not sure in what capacity (its been discussed else where on here). I think they were also used in Sydney or Brisbane (cant remember which) to display train times, an Amiga user on here actually sent me the program that was used, still got to check it out.

A colleague of mine here in Adelaide said a hotel here used a C64 on the reception desk well into this 2000's. It ran a small guest database.

Too true on the monorail.  Amiga 2000's, they control the station synchronisation and doors for the Sydney monorail.  Now that it's being decommissioned there might be a few A2000s on the market.
The NSW rail timetable display system built and scrapped in the late 90's used A1200s.
HBA and Mutual Community (Health Insurance Companies) used A1200s in Video Generator boxes for Point of Sale information and adverts in their branches.
Hey Hey It's Saturday (Aussie TV program) used to use an Amiga for on the fly video titles and animation in the early 90's I think.
Lots of other stuff I think most people know: Early Babalon 5, Andy Warhol, Rolf Harris (Aust/UK Artist)