Other computers can’t hold a candle…

First released on an unsuspecting public on July 23, 1985, the Amiga 1000 brought the fondly remembered Commodore Amiga line of computers to the masses, and in many cases their first experience with a multitasking graphical user interface (GUI), vibrant colors and rich sound in a personal computer. Already known for the PET, VIC-20 and Commodore 64 line of personal computers, the Amiga took things to an extremely next level for both Commodore and personal computers in general.

Per Wikipedia:

“The Commodore Amiga 1000, also known as the A1000 and originally simply as the Amiga, was the first personal computer release by Commodore International in the Amiga line. It combined the powerful 16/32-bit Motorola 68000 CPU with one of the most advanced graphics and sound systems in its class, and ran a preemptive multitasking operating system that fit into 512 KB of memory.”

Although I have more of a personal connection with the Amiga 500 (which several of my friends owned and was the first computer model I ever bought for myself as an adult) the Amiga 1000 is where it all started! My two initial memories of the first Amiga I saw at a friend’s house are these:

• One, I remember being absolutely blown away with how good the game he was playing looked (wish I could remember the game)
• Two, the hard plastic 3.5″ floppy disks were fascinating to me

So wonderful at the time

Commodore as a company is long gone yet myself and many, many others still have a strong personal attachment to the Amiga, and it contributed far more to the personal computer revolution (as did Commodore computers in general) than is usually given credit.

Apple was by no means living in a vacuum and in many cases Commodore design and technology flat kicked their butt. Egos and mismanagement, not quality of product, led to Commodore’s demise.

To celebrate three decades of Amiga goodness, enjoy these videos and photo gallery…

Photo Gallery