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54-683: Since Workbench 2.1 an Amiga Guide system for O.S. inline help files and reading manuals with hypertext formatting elements was launched in AmigaOS and based on a viewer called simply "AmigaGuide" and it has been included as standard feature on the Amiga system. Users with earlier versions of Workbench could view the files by downloading the program and library AmigaGuide 34 distributed with public domain collections of floppy disks (for example on Fred Fish collection) or it could be downloaded directly from Aminet software repository. Starting from AmigaOS 3.0

108-535: A default tool when any media file (including AmigaGuide files) are invoked by mouse clicking and recognized by the existing correspondent datatype. Although the AmigaGuide format is almost solely used for documenting Amiga programs, viewers are available for several other platforms: An AmigaGuide document is a simple ASCII -formatted document, so it can be edited by any normal text editor and viewed by any text reader software. AmigaGuide commands all begin with

162-447: A desk calculator or notepad, etc. The desktop metaphor itself has been extended and stretched with various implementations of desktop environments , since access to features and usability of the computer are usually more important than maintaining the 'purity' of the metaphor . Hence one can find trash cans on the desktop, as well as disks and network volumes (which can be thought of as filing cabinets —not something normally found on

216-445: A desktop). Other features such as menu bars or taskbars have no direct counterpart on a real-world desktop, though this may vary by environment and the function provided; for instance, a familiar wall calendar can sometimes be displayed or otherwise accessed via a taskbar or menu bar belonging to the desktop. The desktop metaphor was first introduced by Alan Kay , David C. Smith, and others at Xerox PARC in 1970 and elaborated in

270-495: A file on non-native media) is represented by the default system icon for one of the five types listed above. These default icons are also customizable. Icon-less files are only displayed in this manner if the drawer is configured to [Show All Files] – if this option is not set (which is the case in Workbench 1.x), such files will not appear at all and can only be seen from a CLI. Tool (application) files can include "tool types" in

324-431: A file type, the type of the related file is specified by its very own properties, along with the restrictions (AmigaDOS: protection flags) given to this file. For example, if you add a tool icon to a text document file, AmigaOS will tell you the file "is not executable" or "is not of required type" as it has no 'e'-protection-flag (AmigaDOS: Hold, Script, Pure, Archived, Read, Writeable, Executable, Deletable) nor does it have

378-418: A hand pointing by using the same joystick the user may have used for video gaming . Onscreen options were chosen by pushing the fire button on the joystick. The Magic Desk I program featured a typewriter graphically emulated complete with audio effects. Other applications included a calculator, rolodex organiser, and a terminal emulator . Files could be archived into the drawers of the desktop. A trashcan

432-450: A node (after an '@NODE' and before an "@ENDNODE"), and affect only the node in which they are used. Attributes may be specified anywhere in a normal line. In addition to the '@' symbol, attributes always use a pair of braces ('{' and '}') to enclose the attribute name and possibly additional arguments. The commands "INDEX", "HELP", "NEXT", "PREV", and "TOC" and the all-purpose hypertext link specify other nodes to jump to. They all support

486-612: A series of innovative software applications developed by PARC scientists throughout the ensuing decade. The first computer to use an early version of the desktop metaphor was the experimental Xerox Alto , and the first commercial computer that adopted this kind of interface was the Xerox Star . The use of window controls to contain related information predates the desktop metaphor, with a primitive version appearing in Douglas Engelbart 's " Mother of All Demos ", though it

540-453: A simple text-only hypertext markup scheme and browser, for providing online help inside applications. It also introduced Installer , a standard software installation program, driven by a LISP -like scripting language. Finally, Workbench 2.0 rectified the problem of applications hooking directly into the input-events stream to capture keyboard and mouse movements, sometimes locking up the whole system. Workbench 2.0 provided Commodities ,

594-418: A standard interface for modifying or scanning input events. This included a standard method for specifying global "hotkey" key-sequences, and a Commodities Exchange registry for the user to see which commodities were running. Version 3.0 was originally shipped with the Amiga 1200 and Amiga 4000 computers. Version 3.0 added datatype support and Workbench could load any background image in any format, as long as

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648-454: A two button mouse, where right click operates pull-down menus and left click is used for all other purposes. The underlying AmigaOS allows the Workbench to launch multiple applications that can execute concurrently. This is achieved through Exec , the Amiga's multi-tasking kernel, which handles memory management , message passing , and task scheduling . Applications launched from Workbench could report their success back to Workbench, but this

702-540: A very simple hypertext language. Since AmigaOS 3.0 or above, the user can jump to any file that is supported by Amiga datatypes – pictures, animation, anything. It uses the MultiView program to handle it through its internal support for the datatype Amiga standard. The user must still give a "node" name, even though the file is not an AmigaGuide file and has no "nodes" – so the syntax is: "main": "name_of_picture.iff/main". Workbench (AmigaOS) Workbench

756-430: Is a spatial file manager in the sense that it uses a spatial metaphor to represent files and folders as if they are real physical objects. Under this concept, each drawer (folder) opens in its own window, rather than within a single browser under the now more common navigational concept. Workbench utilizes the Amiga's native windowing system called Intuition to provide the graphical user interface . Intuition manages

810-480: Is a set of unifying concepts used by graphical user interfaces to help users interact more easily with the computer. The desktop metaphor treats the computer monitor as if it is the top of the user's desk , upon which objects such as documents and folders of documents can be placed. A document can be opened into a window , which represents a paper copy of the document placed on the desktop. Small applications called desk accessories are also available, such as

864-587: Is called Workbench and uses the following representations: drawers (instead of folders) for directories, tools for executable programs, projects for data files, and a trash can as a folder intended to contain deleted files. These representations may be considered somewhat unusual by a modern user, but at the time there were no commonly accepted metaphors and Commodore chose to use different idioms from their competitors ( Apple had already pursued legal action to prevent other software companies from offering graphical user interfaces similar to its own). Workbench

918-610: Is not used unnecessarily by the OS in memory-limited systems. Workbench was shipped with all Amiga models from Commodore. Workbench was provided either on floppy disk or later (as part of AmigaOS) on CD-ROM . Initially, Workbench was designed to be launched and operate from floppy disk (or other removable media ). Later versions could be installed on hard disk , for which an installer was developed for use with AmigaOS 2.0 and later. AmigaOS (including Workbench) often came pre-installed on systems shipped with hard disks. Up until release 3.1 of

972-401: Is the desktop environment and graphical file manager of AmigaOS developed by Commodore International for their Amiga line of computers. Workbench provides the user with a graphical interface to work with file systems and launch applications. It uses a workbench metaphor (in place of the more common desktop metaphor ) for representing file system organisation. "Workbench" was also

1026-581: Is used. The 4.0 icons, designed by Martin Merz, can use a 24-bit palette. Both AROS and MorphOS support PNG icons natively. PNG allows using full 24-bit palette with alpha blending. On Amiga Workbench PNG icons are supported through plugins. In comparison to the competing Mac OS and Atari , the early Amiga Workbench (pre-Workbench 2.04) featured, as the default, a 4 color blue desktop screen with color icons at 640 × 200 NTSC American standard or 640 × 256 on European PAL television sets, in contrast to

1080-670: The .info file matching the name of the file it represents. For example, the icon for NotePad , a text editor , is found in the file NotePad.info . This .info extension is the only file extension required by AmigaOS. The .info file contains the icon image and its spatial position within its parent window. The icon also specifies the type of the file, as used by Workbench. Workbench recognises five different file types: An additional three file types are available and are intended for future expansion: Of these three file types, only "App Icons" currently are used by any part of Workbench/AmigaOS. While an icon may represent or suggest

1134-399: The .info file. These are used as configuration options for the program. Each tool type is a single line of text, which can optionally include parameters written after an = sign. Tool types can be commented out by writing them in parentheses . For example, the tooltype " CX_POPKEY=ctrl alt f1 " defines that the application (a Commodity ) will activate the user interface in response to

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1188-495: The 512 × 342 black and white interface presented by the Mac. The Amiga user was also free to create and modify system and program icons, while Atari TOS featured only default system icons whose appearance could not be modified. Workbench contributed many other unique features/philosophies to intuitive GUI design (starting with version 2.04/2.1): The freedom in customization and the multitude of color settings and aspects available to

1242-492: The '@' (pronounced 'at') symbol. To be recognized as an AmigaGuide document, the first line should include this text: @database Amigaguide.guide There are three categories of commands: Global, Node, and Attributes. Global commands are usually specified at the beginning of the document, before any nodes are defined, and apply to all the nodes in the document. Technically, they can be anywhere. Many commands can be used both globally and in nodes. Node commands are usable inside

1296-454: The Amiga's operating system, Commodore used Workbench to refer to the entire Amiga operating system. As a consequence Workbench was commonly used to refer to both the operating system and the file manager component. For end users Workbench was often synonymous with AmigaOS. From version 3.5 the OS was renamed "AmigaOS" and pre-3.5 versions were also retroactively referred to as "AmigaOS" (rather than Workbench). Subsequently, "Workbench" refers to

1350-401: The AmigaGuide tool was replaced with the more complete and flexible MultiView . AmigaGuide is the default tool for viewing AmigaGuide files used with AmigaOS 2.1, and is also a basic text viewer for ASCII documents. It can handle multiple files thanks to cross-linking tables called XREF. MultiView is basically a void container and a natural GUI for the various datatypes that open MultiView as

1404-486: The TV or monitor overscan could be adjusted. Several features were deprecated in later versions. For example, the gauge meter showing the free space on a file system was replaced with a percentage in Workbench 2.0. Under Workbench 1.x, right clicking on icons opens a display of the files metadata, whereas from Workbench 2.0 right clicking activates pull-down menus only. The default "busy" pointer (a comic balloon showing "Zzz...")

1458-599: The datatypes. Following Commodore's demise and around six years after Workbench 3.1 was released, Haage & Partner were commissioned to update AmigaOS, which was released in 1999 as a software-only update for existing systems. The Workbench look and feel , though still largely based on the earlier 3.1 release, was revised somewhat, with an improved user interface based on ReAction, improved icon rendering and official support for true color backdrops . These releases included support for existing third-party GUI enhancements, such as NewIcons , by integrating these patches into

1512-528: The desktop metaphor more strictly than many other systems. For example, external hard drives appeared on the 'desktop', while internal ones were accessed clicking on an icon representing the computer itself. By comparison, the Mac OS places all drives on the desktop itself by default, while in Windows the user can access the drives through an icon labelled "Computer". Amiga terminology for its desktop metaphor

1566-507: The desktop when the disk was inserted into the drive, as it was a virtual counterpart of a physical floppy disk or CD-ROM on the surface of a workbench. The paper paradigm refers to the paradigm used by most modern computers and operating systems. The paper paradigm consists of, usually, black text on a white background, files within folders, and a "desktop". The paper paradigm was created by many individuals and organisations, such as Douglas Engelbart , Xerox PARC , and Apple Computer , and

1620-496: The key sequence Ctrl-Alt-F1. The colours used in the icon are normally only stored as indices to the Amiga Workbench screen's current palette. Because of this, the icons' colour scheme is inherently tied to the chosen hues in the screen's palette, and choosing non-standard colours can give the icons an ugly appearance. This problem was partly solved by a third-party system called NewIcons , which adds additional features to

1674-424: The name originally given to the entire Amiga operating system up until version 3.1. From release 3.5 the operating system was renamed "AmigaOS" and subsequently "Workbench" refers to the native file manager only. The Amiga Workbench uses the metaphor of a workbench (i.e. a workbench for manual labor), rather than the now-standard desktop metaphor , for representing file system organization. The desktop itself

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1728-400: The naming of nodes within the current document, but they also all support a path along with that name which lets the node be located in any AmigaGuide document. They will be shown as simply embossed text squared buttons in the page of MultiView. To access a node in another document, it is simply required to put an AmigaDOS file path before the node name. From this point of view, AmigaGuide is

1782-411: The native graphical file manager only. From its inception, Workbench offered a highly customizable interface. The user could change the aspect of program icons replacing it with newer ones with different color combinations. Users could also take a "snapshot" of icons and windows so the icons will remain on the desktop at coordinates chosen by user and windows will open at the desired size. Workbench 1.0

1836-525: The need of associated .info files, thus streamlining the process of starting executables in the GUI. Workbench 2.0 also added support for public screens . Instead of the Workbench screen being the only shareable screen, applications could create their own named screens to share with other applications. Workbench 2.0 included and integrated ARexx , allowing users to control the system and other programs from user scripts. Workbench 2.0 introduced AmigaGuide ,

1890-419: The paper paradigm by implementing features such as "shortcuts" to files, hypertext , and non-spatial file browsing. A shortcut (a link to a file that acts as a redirecting proxy, not the actual file) and hypertext have no real-world equivalent. Non-spatial file browsing, as well, may confuse novice users, as they can often have more than one window representing the same folder open at the same time, something that

1944-401: The rendering of screens, windows, and gadgets (graphical elements, equivalent to widgets). Later versions of AmigaOS enhanced the interface with more complex object-oriented widget systems, such as gadtools.library and BOOPSI (AmigaOS 2.0 and later) and ReAction (AmigaOS 3.5 and later). Intuition also handles user input events, such as, input from the keyboard and mouse. Workbench requires

1998-577: The required datatype was installed. This feature was also used in Multiview. Its capabilities were directly related to the datatypes installed in Devs:Datatypes. Localisation was added to allow Workbench, and any installed programs that had localization, to appear in any supported language. The established AmigaGuide hypertext system gained more usability by using document links pointing to mediafiles, for example pictures or sounds, all recognized by

2052-457: The standard .info files. Unlike normal Workbench icons, NewIcons include actual RGB colour information, and the system tries its best to match the icons' colour hues to those in the screen palette. Since AmigaOS 3.5, Workbench supports icons with up to 256 colors. This release of AmigaOS features the GlowIcons icon set by Matt Chaput. With AmigaOS 3.5, a screen-palette-independent system

2106-416: The startup header of an executable. Also, stripping an 'application' from its counterpart icon file (application.info) will not render this application useless; it still remains executable, it will run, only missing the (required) options and arguments delivered from workbench via icons "tool types", e.g. stack size, public screen, etc. Starting in Workbench 2.x, a file without a .info counterpart (such as

2160-433: The surprise of many, users very quickly discarded any semblance of indirection. This icon is my file. My file is this icon. One is not a "representation of" or an "interface to" the other. Such relationships were foreign to most people, and constituted unnecessary mental baggage when there was a much more simple and direct connection to what they knew of reality. Since then, many aspects of computers have wandered away from

2214-567: The system. The 3.5 and 3.9 releases included a new set of 256-color icons and a choice of desktop wallpaper. These replaced the default all-metal gray 4/8 color scheme used on AmigaOS from release 2.0 to 3.1. The 3.9 release of Workbench was again developed by Haage&Partner and released in 2000. The main improvements were the introduction of a program start bar called AmiDock, revised user interfaces for system settings and improved utility programs. This new Workbench, called Workbench 4.0, has been rewritten to become fully PowerPC compatible. It

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2268-404: The user were sometimes seen as chaotic. Customization permitted icons of a vastly different size and appearance than those of the original system icons. Before Workbench 2.0, there were no user interface design guidelines , so the look and feel of menu options could be different from one application to the next (i.e. the layout of basic items like Load , Save , Open , Close , Quit , etc.). This

2322-457: Was added which replaced the WBStartup drawer. Additional enhancements include: a new icon set to complement higher screen resolutions, new window themes including drop shadows, AmiDock with true transparency, scalable icons, and a Workbench auto-update feature. The icons that Workbench uses to represent the files in a volume or a drawer are stored in special .info files, with the name of

2376-476: Was also present. The first computer to popularise the desktop metaphor, using it as a standard feature over the earlier command-line interface was the Apple Macintosh in 1984. The desktop metaphor is ubiquitous in modern-day personal computing; it is found in most desktop environments of modern operating systems: Windows as well as macOS , Linux , and other Unix-like systems. BeOS observed

2430-519: Was an attempt to make computers more user-friendly by making them resemble the common workplace of the time (with papers, folders, and a desktop). It was first presented to the public by Engelbart in 1968, in what is now referred to as " The Mother of All Demos ". From John Siracusa: Back in 1984, explanations of the original Mac interface to users who had never seen a GUI before inevitably included an explanation of icons that went something like this: "This icon represents your file on disk." But to

2484-581: Was created, which provided standard widget sets. The Amiga User Interface Style Guide , was published which explained how applications should be laid out for consistency. Intuition was improved with BOOPSI (Basic Object Oriented Programming system for Intuition) which enhanced the system with an object-oriented interface to define a system of classes in which every class individuate a single widget or describes an interface event. It can be used to program object oriented interfaces into Amiga at any level. As of Workbench 2.0 all files became visible as icons without

2538-575: Was free to create and modify system and user icons, while Atari TOS featured only default system icons whose appearance could not be modified and customizing icons on the Macintosh required using ResEdit . Icons can be of arbitrary size and design and can have two image states to produce a pseudo-animated effect when selected. Users could customize four display colors and choose from two resolutions: 640×200 or 640×400 (interlaced) on NTSC , or 640×256 or 640×512 on PAL systems. In later revisions,

2592-529: Was incorporated by PARC in the environment of the Smalltalk language. One of the first desktop-like interfaces on the market was a program called Magic Desk I. Built as a cartridge for the Commodore 64 home computer in 1983, a very primitive GUI presented a low resolution sketch of a desktop, complete with telephone, drawers, calculator, etc. The user made their choices by moving a sprite depicting

2646-469: Was not a requirement and few actually did. Workbench itself has always been a disk-based component, though much of the underlying functionality is stored in the Amiga's Kickstart firmware, usually stored in ROM . As a consequence, it is necessary to boot from a system disk to launch Workbench. This setup streamlines the process of launching games (which typically do not require Workbench) and ensures that memory

2700-416: Was part of AmigaOS 4.0 , and released in 2006. Since the fourth Developer Pre-Release Update screens are now draggable in any direction. Drag and drop of Workbench icons between different screens is also possible. Additionally, Workbench 4.0 includes a new version of Amidock, TrueType / OpenType fonts and movie player with DivX and MPEG-4 support. In AmigaOS 4.1, a new Startup preferences feature

2754-459: Was released with the first Amiga, the Amiga 1000 , in 1985. The 1.x versions of Workbench used a blue-and-orange color scheme, designed to give high contrast on even the worst of television screens (the colors can be changed by the user). Versions 1.1 consists mostly of bug fixes and, like version 1.0, was distributed for the Amiga 1000 only. The display was highly customizable for the era. The user

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2808-417: Was replaced with a stopwatch in later versions. Workbench 2.0 was released with the launch of the Amiga 3000 in 1990. Until AmigaOS 2.0 there was no unified look and feel design standard and application developers had to write their own widgets (both buttons and menus) if they wished to enhance the already-meager selection of standard basic widgets provided by Intuition. With Workbench 2.0 gadtools.library

2862-401: Was seen as a problem with the Amiga by its detractors. The historical GUI site GUIdebook calls Amiga Workbench a "unique (if slightly chaotic) GUI for Amiga machines". The Ren'Py visual novel Digital: A Love Story uses an Amiga Workbench 1.0 design (known as Amie Workbench within the game). Desktop metaphor In computing , the desktop metaphor is an interface metaphor which

2916-409: Was taken directly from workshop jargon. The desktop was called Workbench , programs were called tools , small applications ( applets ) were utilities, directories were drawers, etc. Icons of objects were animated and the directories are shown as drawers which were represented as either open or closed. As in the classic Mac OS and macOS desktop, an icon for a floppy disk or CD-ROM would appear on

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