Cloanto Releases Online Version of Amiga Forever for Windows, Announces Partnership with Digital River

December 14, 1998 - Cloanto today announced the release of Amiga Forever Online Edition and a strategic partnership with electronic commerce leader Digital River Incorporated.

Amiga Forever combines original Amiga ROM and operating system files with a sophisticated emulation of the Amiga CPU and custom chips, making it possible to run Amiga software in a window or in full screen under Microsoft Windows on Pentium-class PCs. The package also includes networking software developed by Cloanto, to optionally connect a PC with a "real" Amiga, and several preinstalled bonus Amiga programs.

"The Amiga has been surprising the computing world with its technology for more than 10 years," said Petro Tyschtschenko, president of Amiga International, Inc. "Granting Cloanto a license for the latest Amiga operating system to run on a PC has not been an easy decision, but I am now very happy about the success of Amiga Forever, because it gives PC users the possibility to get to know the features of the Amiga, and our Amiga users can take advantage of both operating systems: Windows and the Amiga."

Unlike other emulation solutions in the computing world, Amiga Forever is not based on an emulation of the operating system, but rather it includes the original OS, which results in maximum compatibility with existing Amiga programs. In order to support the widest range of applications, from the first Amiga entertainment titles up to the latest graphics, rendering and productivity software, both versions 1.3 and 3.0 of the Amiga operating system are included. The emulation of the original Amiga hardware makes it possible even for programs which "hit the hardware" to work properly. This part of Amiga Forever is based on UAE, which is an open source effort, meaning that as new versions of the hardware emulation are released, these can be plugged into the Amiga Forever environment easily and at no extra cost. Cloanto has worked together with other Amiga emulation developers to ensure that the Amiga components included with Amiga Forever can be used and reused in a modular fashion with different emulation projects.

"The Amiga hardware has remained substantially unchanged for more than five years, so that it can now be emulated by more recent PCs. Possible Amiga systems of the future, announced for the next millennium, will be based on a new and incompatible hardware and OS architecture. Considering that PCs double in power every 18 months, a solution like Amiga Forever, which is available now, remains an ideal way to not only retain compatibility with existing Amiga software, but at the same time also keep the Amiga performance evolving," said a Cloanto spokesperson. "While Amiga Forever contains enough items to deeply touch Amiga enthusiasts, such as the original 1984 'Boing' demo, there is much more than nostalgia to it. For example, it includes emulation of a true color Amiga display card, which is engineered to take advantage of the latest DirectX technology. So whenever Microsoft or a manufacturer of display cards release something new, the emulated Amiga can automatically take advantage of it."

"We are pleased to see this innovative solution by Cloanto. Using Microsoft Windows and its technologies, like DirectX, Cloanto has developed a way to put Amiga software in the hands of millions of Windows users," said Scott Fallon, Group Marketing Manager for Microsoft's Developer Relations Group.

Cloanto is partnering with Digital River to make Amiga Forever Online Edition the first Amiga software title to be available in hundreds of online stores. The software is available for immediate download at $19.99, following the links on the Amiga Forever Online Edition homepage, and from the network of Digital River's online partners.

Links

Amiga Forever Online Edition

www.amigaforever.com/online/

Amiga Forever Homepage

www.amigaforever.com

Cloanto Logo

Cloanto Logo

About Cloanto

Amiga Forever is the official Amiga preservation, emulation and support package brought to you by Cloanto, Commodore/Amiga developers since the 1980s. While we now focus on business solutions for a living, this project allows us to keep the dreams of our youth alive, manifesting our passion for excellence and commitment to long-term support, and sharing the culture and history we touched firsthand with new generations.

About Digital River

Digital River, Inc., (NASDAQ: DRIV), based in Minneapolis, offers the world's largest online databases of software products. The company provides more than 2,000 software publishers and online retailers with its proprietary technology for internet delivery of more than 131,000 software and other digital products. Tech Squared, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: TSQD) controls 19 percent of Digital River's common stock. For more information on Digital River, visit their website at www.digitalriver.com.

Press Contact

Takeo Sato, Cloanto Corp.

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