History of the Amiga

There's an excellent article over at Ars on the history of the Amiga computer. The computer, loved by so many, that absolutely will not go away. Long after humanity is gone and the Sun has gone nova, there will be two things to carry on our legacy: Cockroaches and the Amiga. You heard it here first.

So, Ars Technica noted that, exciting documentaries about the history of the PC have been made (e.g. Revenge of the Nerds, by Bob Cringely), which only mention the Amiga in passing, if at all. Yet the Amiga did things like have specialized graphics hardware a decade before anyone else, and pre-emptive multitasking. It influenced a generation of engineers. Given it's great presence felt in the computer industry, why is it barely mentioned in PC history?

"When I first went looking for the corresponding story of the Amiga computer, I came up empty-handed. An exhaustive search for Amiga books came up with only a handful of old technical manuals, software how-to guides, and programming references. I couldn't believe it. Was the story so uninteresting? Was the Amiga really just a footnote in computing history, contributing nothing new and different from the other platforms?

As I began researching, I discovered the answer, and it surprised me even more than the existence of the computer itself. The story of Commodore and the Amiga was, by far, even more interesting than that of Apple or Microsoft. It is a tale of vision, of technical brilliance, dedication, and camaraderie. It is also a tale of deceit, of treachery, and of betrayal. It is a tale that has largely remained untold."

Do yourself a favor and check it out.