WorkBench 2.1
			     -------------

			        by K. A


   Ed: I tried to get an advance copy of Workbench 2.1 to let you all know
  about the future of Workbench. However I was greeted with the simple statement
  that "only commercial developers" are allowed to have it... So what can I do 
  but publish this anonymous contribution which arrived on my desk recently? 
  Commodore would do a lot better with their liaising with journalists if they
  simply let us have the information we require and then simply ask that certain
  bits of information not be released until certain dates. There would be 
  cooperation then at least - as it is, the situation is based on arbitrary 
  withholding of information and I say, bah, humbug.  


   ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 |||


   Yes you read right, 2.1 is out in a testing version called a beta version
  and has many additions and some deletions which all in all make for a much
  improved Amiga. Now I know that 2.04 has only just been released in small
  quantities but we have to move on. So for those of you who do have 2.0 in
  ROM or a RAM kickstart - what are the differences?

   Firstly 2.1 is on FFS floppies, 5 in all so far with archived docs.  The
  devs now has an icon as this now stores the new style "mounts" which are
  individual not a list and contain CrossDos mounts so as you can now read
  and write IBM disks with ease. New drawer DosDrivers in devs and also Monitors,
  Printers and Keymaps have icons so as they can be dragged into active
  drawers.

   Certain files have had the big A, diskdoctor for one plus Keymaps/ usa1,
  fonts bullet/if.ss, System/Addmonitor-Bindmonitor-Diskcopy-Setmap,
  WBStartup/ mode_names, Tools/Commodities/IHelp; where most of the latest
  cancellations have been taken over by another program. It would appear
  that Commodore are going for a larger more configurable type workbench
  which may end up being able to handle IBM progs straight off - now wouldn't
  that be something? A great many of the commands in the C directory have
  been rewritten and made compact and the mount has been totally rewritten
  from BCPL to C.

   What else is there?
  * Postscript printer support at last.
  * Support for different languages.
  * You can now select sound samples instead of beeps.
  * There's a compugraphic outline font engine.
  * A new drawer Storage which keeps all the files, drivers, etc. not of
    immediate use.


   It is obvious from the the documentation and what is in the program that
  the new EEC chipset with the new Alice etc will be released in 1993.  I
  came to this conclusion from the persistent roumours plus the new refresh
  rates that are available in 2.1 of 72Mhz and the palette requesters and
  monitors. Pref palette is able to display graphics in 256 colours and
  support the AA chips, 2.04 will not do so. So here is the evidence that
  the Amiga will at last be comparable to and probably outperform the latest
  PCs, I also predict possible 24bit display modes. The CPU now also
  recognises, without special patches, the 68040 processor and its associated
  command structure.

   This is really a more exciting release than the long awaited 2.04 which
  really is now seen as a mere stopgap measure. This does not mean do not
  buy the new WB2.0 as the ROM is an integral part of the whole new structure
  that workbench will eventually be. It is obvious that the development of
  2.0 is not over and will probably be an ongoing thing which in the long run
  cannot help but benefit all Amiga owners.


   ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 ||| 28 |||