I. Introduction
2. The Beginning
Letīs go back to 1979.
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During the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (WCES) two home computers Atari 400 and Atari 800 (code names "Candy" und "Colleen") are presented to the public. By Oct. 1979 these computers may be purchased. In those days their graphic performance is spectecular. The chipset together with 6502 CPU (8-bit MOS) features programmable graphic chip named CTIA (Colleen Television Adaptor) which will become famous later in computer history. |
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The continuous development of this chip leads finally to GTIA (General Television Adaptor) and features a resolution up to 320 x 192 pixels with up to 256 colors. All this was done by a research group around Steven T. Mayer. Jay G. Miner, Douglas G. Neubauer and Joseph C. Decuir are also belonging to this team. The basic design of these chips are described in a series of patents, starting with US 4,296,476 , filed Jan.8th , 1979. These patents specify a computer system, consisting of a microprocessor, memory unit, graphic generator and a linking bus system. The aim was mainly to create a system with a high graphic performance with little burdening of the microprocessor. This invention is based on technologies implemented by Atariīs game console VCS 2600 introduced in Dec. 1977 utilising the graphic chip TIAC (Television Interface Adaptor) which is described in US-Patent No. 4 112 422 granted to Steve T. Mayer and Ronald E. Milner. In order to achieve the above cited little microprocessor burdening the RD-group Steven T. Mayer et al. add among other features the DMA-ability (direct memory access) and so called display lists, enabling to create user-programmable graphic modes. Additionally the chip is able to display sprites, called "Player" and "Missile" by Atari. For these sprites also a recognition of collision is implemented.
In Sept. 1979 Motorola introduces the 16/32 (internal) bit microprocessor MC 68000. This processor contains 8 data registers (D0, D1...D7) which can be fetched bytewise, wordwise or longwordwise. Additionally it possesses (8) 9 address registers (A0, A1...A7). A special role plays register A7, this so-called stackpointer is existing twofold: one for the user mode and one for the supervisor mode. The address registers are programmable in a wordwise and longwordwise manner. Data- and address registers are directly integrated on the processor chip allowing a virtual faster fetch than from the usual seperated memory unit. Plus the MC 68000 features a program counter controlling the processing of successive addresses and a status register.
This basic concept must have been so convincing to Jay Miner that he proposed Atari to develop a 16 bit computer based on MC 68000. As Atari refused he laid off. But since he was planning to realize such a computer along with custom chips connected via DMA.
After his leaving from Atari Miner himself said later that he had worked for several companies since then. All the time I was searching for a possible startup company where I was able to fullfill my plans. At chip producer Xymos, a friendīs company he was involved in the development of a programmable heart pacemaker. This application filed on May 18th 1981 by Intermedics, Inc. was published under US-Patent No. 4 404 972.
In 1982 Jay G. Miner and David Morse (Tonka Toys) founded a company named Hi Toro. Later this company will become Amiga Corporation. Larry Caplan the real founder of the project left shortly before. The first members of this new founded company were: Dale Luck (Hewlett Packard) and Carl E. Sassenrath. Later Robert J. Mical (1984 from Williams Electronics), Ron Nicholson, Akio Tanaka and Dave Dean are joining the team. Someday later also Joseph C. Decuir came, he must have followed J.G. Miner his fellow collegue during those Atari days.
Stan Sieler on February 07, 2001 via e-mail as response on my request about an exhibit on Annual Vintage Computer Festival 2000 - see below (republished with permission):
I believe the exhibit was setup by, and belongs to, Dale Luck. Dale used to work for Amiga. In fact, I saw some of those drawings and prototypes when I interviewed to work at Amiga in 1982, and talked to Dale Luck. On the same day, I had a friend interviewing for a job at Symantec. (My friend and I both worked at Hewlett-Packard.) I didn't want the Amiga job, and I knew my friend didn't want the Symantec job. I told Amiga about him, he told Symantec about me, and the next day he interviewed at Amiga and I interviewed at Symantec. I turned down Symantec (they were trying to port an English-language understanding database from a large mainframe to an IBM PC ... they never did succeed :), but he accepted the Amiga job. His name: Carl Sassenrath, author of the Amiga kernel! A year later, I left HP to co-found Allegro Consultants, Inc., a small software R&D / consulting company. In late 1983 / early 1984, Amiga called me, and asked if I'd be interested in writing an operating system for the Amiga ... they didn't like what they were seeing from Tim (?) in England, or the fact it was written in BCPL, and were also worried that it wouldn't be ready in time for the Amiga introduction. Unfortunately, I was busy, and turned them down. I sometimes wish I hadn't :) For information about the festival in general, check www.vintage.org. -- Stan Sieler sieler@allegro.com www.allegro.com/sieler/wanted/index.html www.sieler.com
In the beginning Amiga Corp. worked on developing control units for video type games. On Feb.7 th, 1983 a patent- as well as a design application is filed at the same time. These applications later become US-Patent No. Des.279,912 and 4,488,017. As inventor Amiga Corp. cites Hugh M. Lee. This patent describes two embodiments of a multidirectional control for video games which become well-known as Power-Stick (handcontrol) and Joyboard (footcontrol).
The Joyboard was intended especially for the use with so called ski games and is marketed together with Mogul Maniac Ski Game.
Along with this the development of a computer is forced whose concept is completed more or less by springtime 1983. For its hardware the following persons are responsible: Jay Miner (complete design and custom chip AGNUS), Dave Dean (custom chip Denise), Glen Keller (custom chip Paula) and Ronald H. Nicholson (Blitter). The first designed custom chip AGNUS comprises of three arrays whereby each array carries eight breadboards with up to 250 electronic circuits on each. This assembly is similar to the other two custom chips code-named "Daphne" and "Portia" in those days. C. Sassenrath is working on the multi-tasking Kernel EXEC and on CAOS (Commodore Operating System) after the take over by Commodore and R.J. Mical is working on the user interface Intuition, which will be granted to him as his first patent. During CES 1984 the BOING-Demo is presented to the public and possible investors yet based on a hardware assembly comprising completly of prototype boards. The financial situation of Amiga Corp. is desasterous in the meantime and makes it impossible to continue exististing on its own in the future. By autumn 1984 Amiga Corp. is incorporated by Commodore Business Machines, Inc. as a division on its own, named Commodore-Amiga, Inc. The pricetag is $ 27.1 million.
At the end of 1984 the hardware development is more or less completed. Problems still exist with the operating-system. Dr. Tim King from the British company MetaComCo is in charge of the further development. He utilizes C.Sassenrathīs written CAOS routines for EXEC, Intuition, Blitter and Copper for continuing the OS development. From his own createded OS, TripOS he contributes to Amiga-OS the routines for data handling, text- and printercontrol as well as routines for the faulthandling system WACK. Besides King establishes the CLI (Command Line Interface or Interpreter) for the exclusive use for the graphical interface(on screen).
For presentation in N.Y. Amiga released three prototype computers and a ß-version of the operating system. The public presentation becomes a full success.
Durin the Fourth Annual Vintage Computer Festival (September 30/October 1, 2000) Stan Sieler took some photos of design drawings and a prototype of the amiga, consisting of several circuit boards (bread boards).
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Dale Luck (hat wearing guy) during presentation of the Amiga prototype at the Fourth Annual Vintage Computer Festival 2000. (Photo by Robert Bernardo) |
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Amiga Lorraine Prototype. Please note the wooden keyboard frame. (Photo by Robert Bernardo, President Fresno Commodore User Group). |
(Thomas Unger)