Amiga Boing Blog cannot legally distribute the Kickstart ROM Files, which are still copyrighted, However you can try out the AROS Download on the Games Download page, to see if you like the Amiga Games which are included, before you choose to obtain the Kickstart ROMS
However, a cheaper method of obtaining them is via “Amiga Forever Essentials” on the Google Play Store, then copy the files to your PC, this will give you the Kickstart ROM files much cheaper than even a Coffee (Coffee costs like 3.00 GBP or something, The Kickstart ROMS cost 1.79 GBP) – Making this the perfect and cheaper way to obtain them legally
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Obtaining the Kickstart ROMS:
Via Clonto Amiga Forever, Plus Edition — https://www.amigaforever.com
(29.95 EUR* – approx.: 26.12 GBP / 36.23 USD)
Look in “C:\Users\Public\Documents\Amiga Files\Shared\rom” **
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Via Android / Google Play: Search For “Amiga Forever Essentials”
(1.79 GBP* – approx.: 2.05 EUR / 2.48 USD)
Look in External Storage for the Kickstart ROM Files: /Android/data/com.clonto.amigaforever.essentials/files/rom **
*Prices correct as of March 2022
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Via Apple iOS / Apple Store:
Add your Email to be notified of when this method is available: https://www.amigaforever.com/ios/
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Finding your Kickstart ROM Files after Purchase
** Copy the following 2 files to your PC to use with WinUAE:
Rename amiga-os-130.rom to KICK13.ROM and put in the ROMS folder
MD5: 82a21c1890cae844b3df741f2762d48d
Rename amiga-os-310-a1200.rom to KICK31.ROM and put in the ROMS folder
MD5: 646773759326fbac3b2311fd8c8793ee
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NOTE: Amiga Boing has LEGAL Copies of the Kickstart ROMS – One set via Google Play “Amiga Forever Essentials” and also thanks to Cloanto I have Amiga Forever, which is an Excellent Legal Amiga Emulation Package. I also create RP9 files for Amiga Forever
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I have been asked many times for my Personal View regarding the Amiga Kickstart ROMS so I will exercise my “Freedom of Speech” rights here and basically say ..
I really do personally I think they should be Freely Distributable now even if it is just for “Emulation Purposes Only” like Amstrad has allowed
For example, as of 2022, The Amiga 500 is 35 years old, and Amiga 1200 is 29 years old, and the Amiga is no longer made or sold
Along with the fact that many other systems come packaged with the required ROMS when you download them, for example:
The Atari 2600 Emulator, Stella can be played out of the box (I assume the ROMS are embedded in the Executable, since no actual ROM files are visible)
The ZX Spectrum Emulator, Speccy, has the ROM files included – “Amstrad are happy for emulator writers to include images of our copyrighted code as long as the (c)opyright messages are not altered and we appreciate it if the program/manual includes a note to the effect that “Amstrad have kindly given their permission for the redistribution of their copyrighted material but retain that copyright” (Source)
Commodore 64 Emulators, such as CCS64, has the ROM files included
Even the Amstrad CPC Emulator, WinAPE, has the ROM files included – and says this in its Help File: “A number of ROM images supplied with WinAPE are still copyright to Amstrad Plc and Locomotive Software. Amstrad and Locomotive have given permission for these ROM images to be distributed with CPC emulators, but retains the copyright. They are therefore freely distributable with WinAPE.”
So I applaud the above companies who owned or still own the copyright to their System ROMS as they have released them so everyone can enjoy using them to this day, and while I maybe a little upset that the Amiga Kickstart ROMS are not yet Publicly available, at least there is a cheaper method to obtain them via the Google Play “Amiga Forever Essentials” package, which is around 1.79 GBP
(On 1 February 2019, Amiga Inc. transferred all its IP (including Amiga trademarks and remaining copyrights) to C-A Acquisition Corp., owned by Mike Battilana (director of Cloanto, company behind the Amiga Forever emulation package), later renamed to Amiga Corporation) from Wikipedia
Ideally I would love to see the Essentials package made available on the Amiga Forever website as well so everyone can get just the Kickstart ROMS only, so they can use the Various Amiga Emulators such as WinUAE for Windows, and FS-UAE for Linux Distributions, without having to fork out a lot of money
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