Task: Learn About and Edit the Amiga Workbench Startup Sequence Script
Needed: Amiga Computer or Emulator Running Workbench
Time: 15-30 Minutes
Introduction
If you are new to the Amiga, one of the most powerful features of the system is its startup initialization process used when booting the Workbench desktop GUI that sits on top of the AmigaOS operating system. Unlike modern operating systems where startup behavior is hidden behind layers of GUI tools, the Amiga gives you direct access to exactly what happens when your machine boots. Further, you can edit the startup sequence to customize it to your preference. This allows you to add a custom boot logo, launch program automatically, and customize the environment.
Instructions
To see the startup sequence script simply open a command line interface (CLI) by right clicking and holding the mouse button down on the Workbench desktop so the menu at the top appears, navigate to the Workbench menu option, and choose the Execute Command option.
Next, enter the command Ed S:Startup-Sequence to launch the Ed text editor and open the startup script in the S directory which is located in the Workbench folder as a hidden directory (there is a menu option in Workbench to show hidden files).
Below is the first page of the startup sequence script on my version of Workbench 3.1.
You will see further down an entry to boot a User-Startup sequence file if it exists. It is better to create this file for editing rather than changing the startup sequence file itself in case an error is made that disrupts normal operation. You can simply copy the startup sequence file and give it this new name. In that file you can add something like SYS:Utilities/Clock that will launch the clock at boot. Be sure and put this after the C:LoadWB command at the end of the script so Workbench loads before the Clock program is run.
Comments
I think it is pretty cool that Commodore anticipated that users would want to change the boot sequence through the User-Startup file.
Note that you can eliminate the C:LoadWB command at the end and just boot a game without Workbnech loaded at all. Lots of games did this on boot.