Workbench Release 3.0, version 39.29 (Kickstart version 39.106)

Release date: September 1992

Shipped with: Amiga 1200 and 4000 exclusively

Media: New ROM (512 KB) and software exclusively for Amiga 1200s and 4000s

Major enhancements:

  • Added: 3D look added to menu bar (bottom black line).
  • Added: Color remapping.
  • Added: Datatypes and MultiView.
  • Added: First official inclusion of the 68040.library (v37.10) in Workbench (SYS:Libs drawer of the "Install Disk").
  • Added: New-look scrollbars and arrow gadgets (PROPNEWLOOK).
  • Added: Support for the AGA chipset.
  • Fixed: Menus were now black-on-white, the way they were supposed to be in Workbench 2.04 (but were delayed due to earlier color constraint issues).
  • Improved: A revised Amiga Early Startup Control (boot menu) featuring disabling/enabling of caches, and new diagnostic features.

Click here for the official list of changes in 3.0.

Example diskette(s):

Screenshots/pics:

Visible in this screenshot are:

  1. The new DOSDrivers (showing PIPE:) and Data Type drawers.
  2. The New-look style scroll bars and arrow gadgets.
  3. The overhauled Palette Preferences, including the new ColorWheel and GradientSlider gadget classes.
  4. The PC1:???? disk icon for the included CrossDOS, indicating an invalid MS-DOS disk.
  5. Background images, instead of the rudimentary patterns of Workbench 2.04.
  6. The multi-talented MultiView, showing an AmigaGuide document, a picture and a sound sample.
  7. The icon for the Intellifont program which manages scalable fonts. This is identical to Workbench 2.04's Fountain program, although—providing this recollection is correct—one Amiga magazine stated it was better.
  8. The icons for the new Prefs editors (first added in WB 2.1): Locale, PrinterPS and Sound.
  9. The whole screenshot is also a rather good demonstration of Workbench 3's palette-sharing features.

Kickstart ScreenAmiga Early
Startup Control
Boot Options
Display OptionsExpansion Board
Diagnostics
Release 3
Compat. Logo
Hidden messages:

With less than 16 tasks running, the following message appears in an AutoRequest on the Workbench screen, if "About..." is selected from the "Workbench" menu several times (without closing the existing requesters) while Ctrl, both Alt and both Shift keys are pressed:

Media information:
Descriptions and Part Numbers
Six (FFS) DS/DD diskettes
Install Disk
Version 3.0
PN: 370126(-02)
Amiga Workbench
Version 3.0
PN: 370127(-02)
Amiga Extras
Version 3.0
PN: 370128(-01)
Locale
Version 3.0
PN: 370129(-01)
Storage
Version 3.0
PN: 370150(-01)
Amiga Fonts
Version 3.0
PNs: 370192(-01)
370191-01
370130-01
Notes/comments:
  1. It appears that a minor update to Workbench 3.0 was planned. There are multiple references to a "Release 3.01" in the 1993 Commodore DevCon notes.
  2. eBay seller "retro_pixelss" notes that (at least in the UK): "The Install disk was only ever added with packs [A1200 packages] that came with a hard drive, and since hardly anyone opted for a hard drive due to cost, there's not many original Install disks around." jkdsteve (Discord/ACILL#amiga-software) recalls that: "The seller added HDPrep tools but no Install disk ... Someone wrote a script that copied everything from floppy; not Installer though, it was specific to the shop—I don't remember the place."
  3. Michael Sinz was the author of the 68040.library. He notes: "I even made Enforcer work with it (obviously) but I don't remember the version number. However, the 37.30 is the last one I did in the 37 series. There was a bump to 42.1 but I don't know if that ever shipped. I can't remember the version, but I did a 68040.library that added support for the 68060 processor [possibly the initial version of this 68060.library?]. It was done after I had left Commodore but under contract with a company [ATL Ultrasound, Inc., later bought by Phillips] that needed it." [Asked about the name of the company he contracted for]: "I am unfortunately unable to remember—this was 24 years ago or so (it was after I got married, [and the day Commodore declared bankruptcy] I know that—but not much after, so my guess is 24 years or so.) The company was from the Seattle area and was doing fancy ultrasound imaging work for medical equipment—they were using Amiga systems [A4000T motherboards equipped with Tekmagic 060 boards] as the main computer plus their own hardware.". The Big Book of Amiga Hardware notes: "This is not the typical GVP/QuikPak 4060 sold to consumers. It is a special board sold for a medical ultrasound system that used an Amiga 4000T motherboard as the central processor for the machine."]
  4. There are at least six versions of Commodore's 68040.library that were available to licensed developers and/or 68040 end-users:
    • v36.2 (07/25/91) 840 bytes (source: PP&SMercury.dms). The earliest known version; no FPU emulation.
    • v37.2 (10/11/91) 41,568 bytes (source: GForce3040.dms).
    • v37.4 (06/10/92) 41,672 bytes (source: PPS_040.dms). Commodore gave this version to GVP and Progressive Peripherals & Software.
    • v37.10 (08/26/92) 43,428 bytes (source: A3000T-040 68040 Support Library disk [P/N: 370173-03]; GigaMem v3.0.adf).
    • v37.30 (01/18/93) 43,888 bytes (source(s): GigaMem v3.12.adf; OS 3.1 Install disk; A4000T (HD floppy) companion disk; MacroSystem US's WarpEngine install disk, and both A4091-4014.dms and A4091-4002.dms). 37.30 library correctly handles Zorro III transfers and mapping of Zorro-III boards (for instance, Commodore's SCSI drivers require that copyback caching be disabled during DMA, and this version of the library does that).
    • v42.1 (07/26/93) ? bytes (source: Olaf Barthel) Was a minor bump from 37.30. Unlikely to have ever shipped. As Olaf notes: "No release notes are available, and the diff between 37.30 were very minor—some instruction adjustments to value compares in a register vs. a less efficient register+memory access."
  5. Bernardo Innocenti reports that on some older OS 3.0 Fonts disks, the Intellifonts files were deleted but still recoverable using the undelete function of most disk repair tools.
  6. The Trashcan was removed from the Workbench disks.
  7. Beta 3.0 apparently used a reduced-gadget Shell window on startup.
  8. 3.0 ROM Part Numbers for A1200: 39.106 - 391524-01 (ROM 0), 391523-01 (ROM 1).
  9. 3.0 ROM Part Numbers for A4000: 39.106 - 319513-02 (ROM 1 D0-D15), 319514-02 (ROM 0 D16-D31).