2014-04-26 10:52:28 -04:00
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Amiga
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2014-04-26 11:54:15 -04:00
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n A series of personal computer models originally sold by Commodore, based
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on 680x0 processors, custom support chips and an operating system that
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combined some of the best features of Macintosh and Unix with compatibility
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with neither. The Amiga was released just as the personal computing world
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standardized on IBM-PC clones. This prevented it from gaining serious market
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share, despite the fact that the first Amigas had a substantial
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technological lead on the IBM XTs of the time. Instead, it acquired a small
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but zealous population of enthusiastic hackers who dreamt of one day
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unseating the clones (see Amiga Persecution Complex ). The traits of this
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culture are both spoofed and illuminated in The BLAZE Humor Viewer. The
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strength of the Amiga platform seeded a small industry of companies building
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software and hardware for the platform, especially in graphics and video
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applications (see video toaster ). Due to spectacular mismanagement,
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Commodore did hardly any R D, allowing the competition to close Amiga's
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technological lead. After Commodore went bankrupt in 1994 the technology
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passed through several hands, none of whom did much with it. However, the
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Amiga is still being produced in Europe under license and has a substantial
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number of fans, which will probably extend the platform's life considerably.
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