ScuzzBlog: Diaries September 2024 Entry 28th September 2024: Post 1: Amiga 2.0 or 2.1 - Out with the blue and in with the grey. Amiga 2.0 or 2.1 - Out with the blue and in with the grey. It was Andy Finkel that commented that v1.4 was switched to v2.0 "when the Workbench graphics changed from the 1.3 look and feel to the 2.0 semi-3D look. Henri Rubin thought the new look was strong enough that we should go to 2.0. And so what started with 2.0 then 2.01 and 2.02 and 2.03 and then gets us to 2.04, for the 500+, 3000 and 3000T requiring a new ROM. The most extensive update to that date. Following that we have 2.05 and 2.1 proper. The early 3000s still relied on a 1.4ROM so that it could then soft boot into 2.0. Hence the ROM tower on some Amiga 3000s. And so why am I bringing this up again ? The reason is that I was discussing the simplest method of preparing, formatting and setting up an A590 drive was to use a Workbench 2.0 release install disk and then reflected on just what that version of Workbench 2.0 is. It could be said that anything numbered 2.0x is a Release 2.0 version, but then any number of 2.0x is no longer 2.0 but more sensibly 2.1. And so 2.0x can be either Version 2.0 or 2.1. Same thing really. Or not depending on who you are talking to. I have plenty of WB2.0 and WB2.1 install disks but for the most part they are generally 2.04 install disks. In fact the A590 on the Checkmate that uses both 1.3 and 2.04 has with its base set of disks copies of 2.04 and the A590 setup disks labelled WB2.0. The early versions of the Release 2 was certainly for the A3000. The big box I have for the ROM 2.0 is for Workbench 2.04. The 'high colour brush stroke graphic' is found on the later 2.04 version of the software, and the disks inside the large folder are indeed 2.04. So what of 2.05 ? This was primarily for the A600 and although for the new machine I am advised that you can run 2.05 on the 2.04 ROM for the A500+ models. I have two thick packs of Workbench 2.1 disks which was the last in the line for the Release 2.0 ROM and was an aid to bringing the Amiga 500 and 2000 models into the shock of the new. Interestingly 2.04 was only ever shipped with Amigas with hard disks. Anyhoo, if you pick up a Release 2.0 WB disk chances are it will work with 2.04 and or 2.05. It came as somewhat of a shock to me that none of my sets of Workbench 2.x disks included the 'Install' disk , except the ones in the folder. I had to open the copies I have to verify they were 2.04. Interesting factoids: 2.05 spring 1992 Added: Support for PCMCIA slots (Type II) via the CC0: device (as of Kickstart v37.300). Added: Support for internal IDE (as of Kickstart v37.300). Added: Support for hard drives larger than 40 MB (as of Kickstart v37.350). Added: Support for high-density floppy disk drives. Added: "PrepCard" utility for the PCMCIA slot (stored on the Extras disk). Changed: Recoverable RAM drive renamed to RAM_0:. Removed: "Say" utility and its speech support, consisting of narrator.device and translator.library (as of Workbench v37.72). 2.1 Added: CrossDOS for easy transfer of MS-DOS and Amiga files. Added: Dynamic localisation of programs to different languages and locale. Added: Postscript printer driver. Added: New Preferences editors. Added: Standard screenmode requester. Added: Support for 68040 CPUs via the CPU and SetPatch commands (ShowConfig was also now 68040-aware). The 68040.library (either v37.10 or v37.30) was still distributed separately until Workbench 3.0 (Install disk, "libs" directory). Added: Support for high-density (1.76 MB) floppy disk drives. Added: Support for multiple serial and parallel preferences. Improved: Faster asl.library. Improved: Overall OS stability. Improved: Reduced memory usage. From the mighty Greg Donner. LINK TO GREG'S SITE Amiga 2.0 or 2.1 - Out with the blue and in with the grey. Amiga Workbench Release 2 from tubs.

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Last updated 28th September 2024

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