Viva Amiga

I recently found a documentary that validated one of the strangest obsessions of my childhood. That obsession was the Commodore family of computers. First, let me take a step back and explain computers during the 1980s.

You basically had a few choices. Commodore, Apple and IBM. IBM was a business machine and was primarily a green background that crunches numbers. Apple was a black and white machine that was limited. And then, there was the Commodore Amiga. The immortal machine that could do so much more than the rest.

Commodore had been inventive with their last computer the Commodore 64. Their follow up the 128 was a bust, so they bought the rights to the Amiga. This machine was so advanced. It was released in 1989, and truly had revolutionary concepts that today's computers owe a debt of gratitude.

Try telling that to your kids. Amiga has long since been gone. Most of my friends that debated the worthiness of the line are also gone. I shelved the whole experience. Then came the documentary, Viva Amiga. Oh my, it was like being a kid again. I watched it with my own children, and quite honestly, they loved the story. The documentary captured the history of this little known machine. Fresh and compelling, it really made the Amiga into a great story.

Anyone who computed back then will go down memory lane. Especially former Amiga users. We knew at the time that this machine was way ahead of it's time. We all were loyal fans. I am sure that most owners will remember the stories. Even if you never owned an Amiga, the movie is truly fun to watch.