09.Aug.2022
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AmigaOS 4.1: Enhancer Software 2.2
Six years after the release of the first version of the "Enhancer Software" (amiga-news.de reported) version 2.2 for AmigaOS 4.1 by A-EON Technology has been released today. Existing customers of version 2.x can get it for free via the updater tool. For first-time customers, the digital version is available from AmiStore for about 90 Euro and on CD from AmigaKit, among others, for also 90 Euros plus shipping.
The "Enhancer Software" adds and partially replaces system components in AmigaOS 4.1 to provide more functionality: from basic 2D graphics drivers to a modern 3D graphics subsystem, more advanced utilities, tools, classes and gadgets.
In parallel with the current version 2.2, work has also already begun on the next version, V54, which will represent an even greater leap forward in development. Several components developed for it are already included in the present version 2.2. First and foremost is "Warp3D Nova V54". This upgrade reflects more than a year's worth of development work and provides important new features, speed improvements and bug fixes. It is an essential prerequisite for many new 3D game ports with full shader support, such as Doom3 (amiga-news.de reported). Also support for the soon to be released NovaBridge software has been added, which can be used to run old Warp3D games (amiga-news.de reported). This release will be chargeable.
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The OpenGL ES library has been updated to version 3.3 and contains many rewritten and optimized parts which are also required for new 3D applications like SCUMMVM, SDL2 and GL4ES.
The RadeonRX 2D graphics driver has been updated to include GART- support, which provides additional 3D performance as well as many additional optimizations.
In addition, numerous programs, datatypes, classes, preferences, commodities and commands have been updated. In the past time the sense or nonsense of new versions for commands or classes was discussed and partly ignored by the users. As Matthew Leaman from A-EON explains to us, there is a basic distinction to be made:
"The classes are mandatory to install and are crucial for running the applications like X-Dock, MultiEdit, Multiviewer, Power Prefs, etc. They are extended versions of the AmigaOS 4.1 classes. For example, the Tabbed Gadget class supports draggable tabs, while Hyperion's Clicktab does not. The Toolbar Gadget class has many advanced features that the old Speedbar Gadget does not." Since there is no reliance on Hyperion's classes being updated and released regularly, "we developed our own gadget classes. We want to be able to develop our applications independently with the building blocks (classes) that give users the most functionality."
The commands included in AmigaOS 4 are from Commodore source code that is part of the third-party legal dispute. The next version of Enhancer Software V54 will be a self-booting distribution. It will require a set of native commands to achieve self-boot. As Matthew continues, "we have spent the last 3 years developing these commands from scratch. When we intiially released them, some bugs were found and we have since rapidly resolved every bug report that users have given us. We have got to a point now where these commands are mature and work well - with the added bonus of not being tainted by legal issues."
An added advantage, he continued saying, is "that the same command code base is now running for Classic Amiga's. The commands work very well with even Kickstart 3.0. They also offer many advanced features over the standard commands. So we have achieved development Commands set for both PPC and Classic which share the same code base and provide up to date features."
The changes in detail:
more ...
(dr)
[News message: 09. Aug. 2022, 16:33] [Comments: 0]
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