Conference hydra::amiga_v1

    No, I don't think 2.0 is available anywhere yet.  Commodore has
    released a not-quite-final version to go along with the Amiga 3000
    (only).  So those who have bought the new A3000 machine have it,
    but the rest of us are still waiting.  I think they initially said
    to expect the final 2.0 release around September, but I have not
    heard any announcements of a specific date.  The schedule may have
    slipped a bit...
    
    I believe a Kickstart ROM change will be required to support 2.0
    (right guys?), so don't expect a "free" update.  The 1.3 ROMs were
    priced in the $25 to $50 range, so I'd expect the new ROMs and DOS
    software package to cost a bit more than that.

    It may be possible to run 2.0 on an Amiga which has an MMU, using
    SETCPU to replace the ROM bits with RAM bits, before changing the ROM.
    If that's possible I'd like to do it, to be sure that the software
    which I depend on works with 2.0 before making the commitment
    of changing the ROM.
        John Sauter

CBM has released various hooks to allow people to test software under 2.0
on suitable hardware (which doesn't mean an MMU). They're not liable to
release that software to the general public, nor would I expect them to
release the final version of 2.0 in a form which works with that software.

To solve the problem in .2, I'd recommend trying it on a machine running 2.0.
Avoid the 3000, because it'll break software that uses the high order byte
of addresses for anything other than addressing. If you just by the roms and
upgrade yourself, you ought to be able to downgrade yourself. If you have
a dealer do it, they ought to allow you to test critical software on a
display machine.

BTW, if it's commercial software, try calling the company that
produces/markets it; they should have tested it by now. If it's yours,
then you can just fix it. If it's neither commercial nor provided with
source, you could have problems.

	<mike

    re: .3
    
    That's my fallback position---take my critical software to the dealer
    and try it on his V2.0 system.  If it doesn't work on a 3000 then
    it is broken, by my standards: software _shouldn't_ be using the high
    8 bits of an address for anything but address bits.
    
    Asking the vendor is an interesting idea, but I'm not sure I'd trust
    a positive answer.
        John Sauter

Thanks again - It looks like I'll have to tell my father to wait a while - 
he has an Amiga 500 which he has upgraded with more memory, but I doubt that
he's in a position to do anything too tecchie ... if some time in the future
V2.0 appears as a stable release and can run on a 500, then he'll be able
to take advantage of it.

Cheers,
Charlie

    from Usenet:
    
    From: [email protected] (Jim Shaffer)
    Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc
    Subject: 2.0 ROM release date
    Date: 16 Jul 91 17:55:16 GMT
    Organization: The Search For TERRESTRIAL Intelligence
    Lines: 9
 
    An online magazine I found on Compuserve last night states that the 2.0
    ROM will be released starting with the AmigaWorld Expo in Orlando FL,
    July 26-28.
 
    --
    *  From the disk of:|  [email protected]  		|  "Let's become  
    Jim Shaffer, Jr.	|  amix.commodore.com!vanth!jms |   alive again."
    37 Brook Street	|  uunet!cbmvax!amix!vanth!jms	|
    Montgomery, PA 17752|  [email protected]	|	   --Yes

I also heard from a developer last night (the guy who wrote the CDROM-FS)
that the developers have ROM's now!

It's Here!

john

    I know a guy that ordered three roms at $10.00 each. (developer) I had
    mentioned this in passing in the note on the Flicker Fixer. He also
    said that the roms were available only for the 500, and the 2000.
    								bill

(I thought it better to ask this here than on the net)


I just started using the new "version 37" release of 2.0 on my 3000.
I borrowed this copy because mine hasn't arrived yet, so I don't have the 
release notes, and I came accross an item that I want to BE SURE is a real
change and not a user's attempt at giving me a virus!

The boot block on the INSTALL disk triggered a virus alert in my system.
After investigation, it LOOKS like what is going on is that there is
a slight change that allows you to determine if the floppy is a 1.3 OFS or
a 2.0 OFS floppy, The INSTALL program was also changed, so that it creates this
new boot block.

Is this a REAL change?
(If this is real, why would one care if it's 2.0 or 1.3?)


I also noticed that KICKSTART has something called a "3000 BONUS" section
of code that loads in, and shows up under one of the ARTM vector or port
displays. This "added" to the feeling that a virus could exist.

Is this REAL also? If so, what is it?


I can wait for the release notes for my other questions.


Thanks!!

Keith

Yes, they're both real things from CBM. The behavior of the 37.175 KS changes
if you boot a 1.3 system - 2.0 doesn't open the workbench until it
absolutely has to, so that iprefs can work properly (among other things).
Some 1.3 games grabbed the WB screen and started mucking with it. To make
such broken code work, the KS notices you booted a 1.3 system, and opens the
WB immediately. All part of the _major_ amount of work that's been done to
keep things alive that have no right to live under 2.0.

Notice why 2.0 needs 512K of ROM: 256K for 1.3, and 256K for 2.0 :-).

The 3000 Bonus is also real. I've forgotten what it does, though. Something
about finding on-board hardware that doesn't exist on previous Amigas, I
think.

	<mike

Re: -.1

>Yes, that's all legit

Thanks! I'll rest easy then. All we need now is an update to VirusX to
recognize this. I'd use VirusChecker (which can be told to "memorize"
this new bootblock), but I don't think it can run it without a window
like VirusX does. I'll have to double check.


>Notice why 2.0 needs 512K of ROM: 256K for 1.3, and 256K for 2.0 :-).

No I didn't; Wow.


Keith Barrett

    
>>Notice why 2.0 needs 512K of ROM: 256K for 1.3, and 256K for 2.0 :-).
>
>No I didn't; Wow.
    
    I think he was being facetious by saying that 256K was needed for
    upward compatibility.  1.3 won't actually be in the 2.0 roms as far
    as I know.
    
    So where can I get a copy of the latest 2.0 for my 3000.  I've
    got 2.03 which is still 69.xxx.
    
    I've been having a problem with the scsi bus locking up.  I think
    I'm going to take it into memory location and have it looked at
    before my warranty runs out.  (it doesn't seem to be related to
    the reselection bug) I'd like to try V37 before taking it in
    if possible.
    
    thanks,
    
    steve

    They're not really out yet, so the only way right now is to be a
    registered developer. I believe the ROMs for 2000 systems will be
    available before the 3000 (probably because the 3000 has an MMU and can
    boot disk versions). I haven't kept careful track of this because my
    3000UX has no sockets for the ROMS (just artwork), so I believe the ROMs
    won't apply to UX systems.
    
    Keith

re .-1


>>Notice why 2.0 needs 512K of ROM: 256K for 1.3, and 256K for 2.0 :-).
>
> No I didn't; Wow.

You *did* notice Mike's smiley though, right? :-)

That's what the little :-) means.

Re .12

Word from CBM is that 2.04 is being shipped to developers, and is no longer
under ND. It's 37.175 (KS) and 37.67 (I think - don't have it here) WB.
You want to upgrade. I've seen (and written) applications that treat
36.xxx as if it were 1.3. There are just to many things that work in 2.04
that didn't in 2.03 (or didn't exist at all) to ignore. There are just to
few copies of 36.xxx - all of which can upgrade for free - to be worth
supporting it.

The SCSI code has been tweaked a number of times between 2.03 and 2.04,
trying to get something that works with all known revs of the WD controller
chip that are in the 3000. Lockups with multiple drives is usually the
indicator that something is wrong. Turning off reselect is a workaround.

re .13

Early 3000s had EPROM sockets that vanished from the later versions,
leaving just artwork. I suspect that's the artwork you're seeing in
the 3000UX. I've not dealt with the UX, but if you can boot AmigaDOS
via a kickstart on disk, you've got ROMS. That's where the code that
runs the kickstarts is (hmm - I may have to boot that just to see what
version it really is....).

	<mike

    (I knew what a smiley face was, but since it wasn't winking I didn't
    know he was kidding)
    
    
    
    I have KS 37.175, WB 37.64. Yes, a lot of complaints I had seem to have
    vanished with this version. EVERYTHING seems to work in WBstartup
    (wildstar, WBgauge, ToolManager, PointerX, NoClick),
    The "SHOW ALL FILES" checkmark works correctly, "snap shotting" the WB
    window to save it's size works, less crashes, etc. The only complaints
    I have is that new bootblock looks like a virus to all my current
    programs (and to others) - this will go away when the "free" software
    catches up, and I can't seem to make that "slient" bootup work even
    though all output is directed to NIL: during startup.
    
    I got the release notes, and there are still some things I have that
    are unanswered. Since ND is over (I hadn't heard), perhaps someone can
    send me email about CONCLIP, LACER, MAGTAPE, and FOUNTAIN. I have no info
    and playing produces limited results). Other devlopers I'fve talked to
    don't have info either.
    
    
    In my 3000UX, there are 2 places (that are artwork only) labeled ROM.
    There is also a lone socket elsewhere with a chip labeled "PROTOTYPE".
    I assumed that this is what was being used to boot SuperKickStart and
    present the menu selection screens for boot partitions (it works cool
    with UNIX). But for some reason (probably because I heard that the new
    KS would need 2 ROMs), I thought the other locations were for KS.