ScuzzBlog: Diaries June 2024
Entry 17th June 2024: Post 1: A4000T - 3.1 and workbench.library.
A4000T - 3.1 and workbench.library.
Interesting conversation on Amiga Org regarding the Amiga 4000T
and the workbench.library got me thinking again about the state
of Workbench 3.1 at the demise of Commodore.
Here is the thing, The Amiga 4000T has a custom ROM and also
requires a special Workbench disk. Remembering that Commodore
only managed to squeeze a few machines out the door before they
went pop in 1994.
Quote from the 'Big Book' .. The A4000T has the drivers for the
SCSI-II controller in ROM and in order to allow it to fit,
workbench.library was moved from ROM, and supplied on the Workbench
disks and is loaded from LIBS: like any other disk based library.
So on a 3.1 system it will be in ROM but with the A4000T Workbench
is in the Libs drawer on the disk.
OK. Commodore never released Workbench 3.1. The Workbench became
the first 'OS' and was sold under license by people like Blittersoft
and Village Tronic. All of the ROM chips that I have for OS3.1 for
1200 and 4000 machines are dated 1995 and do not carry the name of
Commodore. Previous chips carry the Commodore name.
I am unable to verify the original A4000T ROM version as I couldn't
find any on the web. However, if Commodore did release the A4000T
with the 3.1 ROM and the disks it did indeed issue Workbench 3.1
in its lifetime.
Sadly I am unable to verify matters as my A4000T and special WB
disk is from the 1995 Escom era.
I do have the developers set of disks for 3.1 which predate the
1994 closure. I also have Workbench disks that carry the Commodore
name, but no official release data prior to 1995.
So did the A4000T actually by default in truth release 3.1 or
maybe there is a different ROM on the original board. In the end
the only difference is the workbench.library being on disk and
the SCSI-II controllers being on ROM. Noting that the other CBM
machines of the period did not require the SCSI-II controllers.
You can download workbench.library from the Amiga Forever site.
Clear as mud.
A4000T - 3.1 and workbench.library.
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Last updated 17th June 2024
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