The Amiga

[Martin Kuchinka <kuchinka@k332.feld.cvut.cz>]

Pri cistce sveho hadru jsem narazil na jeden maly textik co jsem sepsal o 
prazdninach 1996:

January 1995


    Famous Amiga Users:
    -------------------

  Arthur C. Clarke
  B. B. King
  Andy Warhol
  Walter Williams (creator of Mr. Bill)
  Herbie Hancock
  Timithy Leary
  Dingo Boingo (now just plain Boingo)
  Billy Idol
  Gary Coleman
  Todd Rungren
  NASA
  Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
  DisneyLand and DisneyWorld
  Amblin Entertainment
  Martin Kuchinka

    History:
    --------

  Amiga 1000 - 1985
             - This 68000-powered machine was seven years ahead of its time,
               providing a fast, multitasking, 4096-color system for about
               $2000 in days of $4000 single-tasking, 16-color IBM 286
               machines.

  Amiga 2000 - 1987
             - It sacrificed the A1000`s sleek lines in exchange for an
               extremely expandable, slot-packed design. It suffered a bit of
               an identity, crisis, being released in various world markets as
               the A1500, A2000HD, A2500/20, A2500/30, A200HDA/100, A1500Plus,
               and A2000Plus.

  Amiga 500  - 1987
             - The most popular Amiga model, this one-piece case packet all 
               the power of the Amiga 1000 in an inexpensive package. A 
               Europian modele with Kickstart 2.04 and 2MB chip RAM
               capability was called A500Plus.

  Amiga 3000 - 1990
             - Nearly the perfect Amiga design, the A3000 took the Amiga to 
               a full 32-bit 030 architecture, got rid of the flicker, and
               packed plenty of speed. Also available in a tower model,
               the A3000T, and a Unix Model the A3000UX.

  Amiga CDTV - 1991
             - Commodore designed this home CD-ROM player based on the A500 
               as a Stealth Computer, hoping to sneak it into the homes of
               unsuspecting computerphobes. Unfortunately, the stealth
               worked a little to well, and not many people nodiced it.

  Amiga 600  - 1992
             - Originally planned as a cost-reduced complement of the A500,
               the A600 ended up costing more and doing less. With its tiny
               case and internal hard drive, though, it makes a great
               portable Amiga.

  Amiga 4000 - 1993
             - The pinnacle of the Amiga line, featuring a fast 68040 
               microprocessor and the improved AGA chip set. Still one of 
               the most-capable video computers on the planet more than
               two years after its release.

  Amiga 1200 - 1993
             - AGA graphics power comes to the masses in this sleek one-piece
               Amiga.

  Amiga CD32 - 1994
             - The CDTV concept done right, this 32-bit CD-ROM game machine
               was a hit in Europe and could been a contender in the U.S.


    Amiga`s Hollywood Highlights:
    -----------------------------

  TV Series:

  Babylon 5
  seaQuest DSO
  RoboCop
  Viper
  Quantum Leap
  Small Wander
  Miami Vice
  Liquid Television
  Inside Space
  Max Headroom
  Nick Arcade
  Unsolved Mysteries
  Total Panic
  Clarissa Explains It All
  Anamaniacs
  Goof Troops
  Mysteries From Beyond
    the Other Dominion
  Robo Jr (4 Emmy Awards)
  X-Files
  StatTrek

  Movies:

  Jurassic Park
  Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
  Warlock
  Afterburn
  Tommyknockers
  Honey, I Blew Up the Kid
  Death Becomes Her
  The Dark Half
  Panama Deception


    Amiga Firsts:
    -------------

  - First personal computer to ship standard with a preemptive multitasking
    operating system.(Windows 3.1 and Macintosh System 7.0 still support
    less-efficient, cooperative multitasking).
  - First personal computer to ship with a 32-bit Operating System.
  - First personal computer to support more than 16-color output as a
    standard feature.
  - First personal computer with an inexpensive genlock option.
  - First personal computer to ship standard with a double-sided 3.5" disk 
    drive.
  - First personal computer to include a two-button mouse as standard.
  - First personal computer to offer a choice of command-line and graphical
    user interfaces.
  - First personal computer to include four-channel, digital sound on the
    motherboard.
  - First personal computer to ship standard with speech synthesis.
  - First (and unfortunately, only) personal computer to ship with a keyboard
    garage.
  - First personal computer to include plug-and-play (AutoConfig) expansion
    cards.

                                          Martin Kuchinka

MarK