29.Oct.2022
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AmigaOS 4.1: Introduction to Software Development Kit V54.16, part 2 (update)
Tree weeks ago we had published the first part of the introduction to Hyperion Entertainment's recently updated Software Development Kit (SDK) V54.16 written by Josef Wegner. Now the second part:
"AmigaOS 4.1 SDK 54.16 - How to install it?
In the second article I will show how to install the SDK. Since I unfortunately cannot go into every individual configuration, I assume that AmigaOS 4.1 Final Edition Update 2 is already installed. However, it is irrelevant whether further software or the Enhancer 2.2 is installed.
What is required for the installation?
As mentioned in the first paragraph, update 2 of AmigaOS 4.1 Final Edition should be installed. Besides that you need:
- enough time; on a PPC Amiga the installation takes 10 - 20 minutes
- 200 - 920 MB free space on a NGFS or SFS drive (preferably another drive besides the system drive) for the installed SDK
- 350 - 400 MB additional free space on a (different) drive for unpacking the archive
- the installation archive
Are there things I should do before installing?
Yes, there are one or two things you should do before you install the SDK
installed:
The first thing you should do is make a copy of your S:User startup. Apparently
there is a bug in the installer program or installer script, that the
last line is deleted from the user startup. After the installation compare both
files, and make sure that nothing is missing.
The second thing is, if you have an older SDK installed, you should remove or comment out the old one from your s:User startup file or comment it out. The lines in question are the following ones:
;BEGIN AmigaOS 4.1 SDK
assign SDK: Work:SDK
execute SDK:S/sdk-startup
;END AmigaOS 4.1 SDK
Delete these lines or comment out the assign/excute with a ;. As
next you should reboot the Amiga and finally delete or rename the old
SDK directory, move it or rename it.
Now it is best to download the installation archive from Hyperion's website and
transfer it to the Amiga if necessary. The second step is to unpack the archive to a destination where you have enough space: this can be done with the standard program Unarc of AmigaOS 4.1 or Archiver from the Enhancer 2.2 or the command line tool "LhA". Depending on what is installed. I personally prefer the command line, so I run the following:
13. > Temp: > lha -a x SHARE:SDK-54.16.lha
The option "-a" tells LhA to restore the attributes (date, permissions). "x" stands for extract the files with full path. The
last part tells LhA where the installation archive is stored.
Unpacking the installation archive alone takes 3-4 minutes.
Enough time to get a coffee for the next step.
The next step is to start the installer "Install SDK" in the freshly unpacked
directory "SDK_Install":
And then select the components of the SDK:
A full installation with all four GCC versions requires
a bit more than 900 MB. On a NG system (SAM, X1000, or X5000) there should be no space problems. On a Classic system you should limit yourself to
one of the four GCCs. This saves about 500MB and some time during the
the installation. A complete installation with all four GCCs takes about 10 minutes on my X5000. On Classic systems or WinUAE it takes
significantly more.
After succesfully installed it...
...you should check, if Startup file is fine and if these new lines have been added:
;BEGIN AmigaOS 4.1 SDK
assign SDK: Work:SDK
execute SDK:S/sdk-startup
;END AmigaOS 4.1 SDK
Then you can reboot and skip the following chapter. In the chapter after next we will test the SDK and compile the first program.
What do I do if it didn't work?
Not enough disk space? The safest thing to do is to delete the SDK that you did not finish installing. Then you can either install the SDK with fewer options, install it on a different drive, or clean up the drive and then try again.
Archive error?
I had this during an installation. Solution was as above, delete failed attempt and try again.
Error unpacking the installation archive or writing the files?
Please make sure that the SDK is installed on a local drive, preferably formatted with SFS or NGFS. Also, please do not use a shared drive in (Win)UAE. If this is already the case and there are still errors, you should check the drive for errors. With NGFS this can be done with the command:
NGFCheck Work:
"Work:" stands for the volume name or the drive.
SDK was installed. What comes next?
Now we can finally use the SDK. In article 1 it was said that the SDK comes with several GCCs and the VBCC. So let's see if all of them work. If at least one GCC is installed, we can see with the following command if the GCC is found and which version of the GCC is currently used:
gcc -v
....gcc version 8.4.0 (adtools build 8.4.0)
The SDK provides several GCCs. How can I change the GCC?
Use the tool "set_defGCC" in SDK:Tools for this. This directory is not in the search path, so you have to open it either with the Workbench or the full path.
sdk:Tools/set_defGCC
A small window appears where you can choose between the four GCC versions. But you can also specify the version directly in the Shell. To do this
appends the desired version after the command. To select GCC 11, enter the following in the Shell:
4. > Workbench: > sdk:Tools/set_defGCC 11
4. > Workbench: > gcc -v
...gcc version 11.2.0 (adtools build 11.2.0)
But be careful, you can also choose a GCC that is not installed. In this case the Shell will not find a GCC anymore. To solve this, call the tool again and select an installed GCC. If VBCC is also installed, you can test it with the following command:
vc -v
vc frontend for vbcc (c) in 1995-2020 by Volker Barthelmann
No objects to link
Now we can run the first test program. As usual, we write a HelloWorld program in standard C, which would also compile and run on another system without code changes.
Enter the following lines in the editor of choice and save them somewhere as "hello.c". Please leave out the line numbers!
RAM Disk:Shared/Sources/hello/hello.c
1 #include <stdio.h>
2 int main(void)
3 {
4 printf("Hello World!\n");
5 return (0);
6 }
To compile and start in a Shell, run the following:
For the GCC:
3. > RAM Disk:Shared/Sources/hello > gcc hello.c -o hello
3. > RAM Disk:Shared/Sources/hello > hello
Hello World!
With the VBCC:
3. > RAM Disk:Shared/Sources/hello > vc hello.c -o hello
3. > RAM Disk:Shared/Sources/hello > hello
Hello World!
What have I done?
I don't want to dive too deep into the structure and peculiarities of C here. But I'll try to explain briefly which line does what in the program.
- Line 1: This is not a C command but a command for the C preprocessor to include another file called stdio.h. The preprocessor prepares the program code for further compilation steps and improves the functionality, spelling and readability of the entered code. Besides including so-called header files, the preprocessor can define constants and replace them later in the code, remove comments, or show and hide code parts (conditional compilation). The file stdio stands for "STanDard Input Output" and contains the function definition for the "printf" method. This method outputs the passed string on the command line. The program would compile and run even without this preprocessor command. However, the compiler would issue warnings.
- Line 2: This is the declaration of the entry function. So that C knows where the program begins, one must define this differently than with script languages. In C it is done by defining the main function (=main). This must have either the form
int main(void)
or
int main(int argc, char **argv)
The first form ignores the parameters when calling the program, the second one passes the number of parameters (int argc) and an array of the parameters as C strings are passed to the method.
- Lines 3 and 6: The curly braces define a code block. With this we tell the compiler that everything in between (line 4 + 5) is part of the function.
- Line 4: Here we call a method of the C standard library that prints the string on the Shell.
- Line 5: The keyword "return" sets the return value of the function. A return statement terminates the execution of a function and returns control to the calling function. The value 0 means: okay! You should always set a return value, but it is not required like in Java.
Not everything is needed for an executable program. If you want to have (and ignore) many warnings from the compiler, you can write the program much shorter:
main(void) { printf("Hallo Welt!\n"); }
If C lacks the return or variable type, C simply takes int (integer type).
Known problems
- I get a GrimReaper when starting the compiled program!
Try to compile the program on a different drive. This happens for example when you compile the program on a shared host drive under WinUAE. Linking the generated object files fails without any message. What comes out is not a real program, and pretty quickly an invalid PPC assembler command is executed, which brings up the GrimReaper.
- I tried to debug the test program but get a weird SIGBUS error:
3. > RAM Disk:Shared/Sources/hello > gcc -gstabs hello.c -o hello
3. > RAM Disk:Shared/Sources/hello > hello
Hello World!
3. > RAM Disk:Shared/Sources/hello > gdb hello
....Starting program: /RAM Disk/Shared/Sources/hello/hello...
...Program received signal SIGBUS, Bus error.
0x00000000 in ?? ()
(gdb)
This is not an SDK or GDB problem, but a bug in the X5000 kernel. There is a beta kernel where this problem is fixed, but it is not publicly available.
What can I do until the third article is published?
First of all, I'm glad you made it this far. The following links might be interesting:
We are done! In the third part we will go a little deeper into the syntax of C."
Update: (29.10.2022, 19:50, dr)
The main developer of the SDK, George 'walkero' Sokianos, has read the tutorial with interest and expresses his thanks for Josef's commitment. He also has three additions that we would like to add here:
- A lot of information on how the SDK is set up and how the compilers can be used is mentioned in the introduction pdf file that can be found in the installation folder. It would be good for people to read that document if they are not familiar with the SDK.
- Different GCC versions can be used by using the binary based with the specific version added at its name, i.e. gcc-11 or gcc-6.
- If AmiCygnix is installed the user must make sure that the lines that are added in user-startup must are before the AmiCygnix lines, so to avoid problems with its software.
(dr)
[News message: 29. Oct. 2022, 06:59] [Comments: 1 - 29. Oct. 2022, 20:10]
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29.Oct.2022
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Motorola68k emulation: Emu68 tests and driver development for Compute Module 4
Developer Michal Schulz regularly provides background information and status updates on his Motorola68K emulation Emu68 for the ARM architecture on his Patreon page. In his latest entry he not only reports about the experiences on the Amiga37, but also announces that due to the still to be developed firmware for the PiStorm32-lite variant he will use the time to make all necessary improvements and corrections to Emu68 and the low-level drivers, which are necessary to make them work properly with Compute Module 4. These are specifically intended for use in proprietary electronic hardware (see heise.de article). If successful, this would give us another variant that could be used in the A500 or A600. (dr)
[News message: 29. Oct. 2022, 05:47] [Comments: 0]
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28.Oct.2022
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Workbench distribution: AmiKit XE for Raspberry Pi 4/400 as Amiga37 edition
As AmiKit had announced in advance (amiga-news.de reported), the Workbench distribution AmiKit XE for the Raspberry Pi 4/400 is now available as a physical product in the Amiga37 Limited Edition: it contains a bootable 64GB microSD card with preinstalled AmiKit (and DevPack) in a branded case (with slots for up to 24 microSD cards). (dr)
[News message: 28. Oct. 2022, 20:27] [Comments: 0]
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28.Oct.2022
MorphZone (Forum)
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MorphOS: Web browser Wayfarer 4.3
Jacek 'jacadcaps' Piszczek has released version 4.3 of his web browser Wayfarer for MorphOS, which now includes the full WebKit WebInspector. Detailed changes:
- Implemented the full WebKit WebInspector
- Deprecated Eruda
- Enabled anchor's download attribute
- Implemented download support for data blobs and data URLs
- Fixed BigInt64 types in TypedArrays
- Optimized some TypedArray operations
Download: wayfarer.lha (29 MB) (dr)
[News message: 28. Oct. 2022, 07:56] [Comments: 0]
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28.Oct.2022
Seiya (ANF)
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PDF magazine: REV'n'GE 139 (Italian/English)
Besides the Italian original issue, the PDF magazine REV'n'GE ("Retro Emulator Vision and Game") is also available in English. The magazine's reviews compare, if available, the different ports of classic games to the various platforms of their time.
Amiga-related, the current issue is about "Street Fighter II: The World Warrior" and "Fiendish Freddy's Big Top O' Fun". (snx)
[News message: 28. Oct. 2022, 07:32] [Comments: 0]
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28.Oct.2022
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Programming language: Amiga C/C++ Visual Studio Code Extension 1.6.3 (update)
Bartman', member of the demo group 'Abyss', provides with 'amiga-debug' a 'Visual Studio Code' extension for "compiling, debugging and profiling Amiga C/C++ programs compiled by the bundled gcc 11.2 with the bundled WinUAE" (YouTube video). Today version 1.6.2 has been released. Changes:
- Linux, MacOS is now supported thanks to Peter Mackay and Graham Bates.
- Please do report any problems here
Update: (28.10.2022, 18:08, dr)
Today, version 1.6.3 was released, which restores the lost file permissions on Linux and macOS. (dr)
[News message: 28. Oct. 2022, 05:31] [Comments: 0]
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27.Oct.2022
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Feature test in AMOS: Update for mingame None Of Us
The group 'ELECTRIC BLACK SHEEP', known among other things for the fantasy shooter Project Quest, which is currently in development, had released a minigame called "None Of Us" three weeks ago, which is intended to test how to obscure the player's opponents with light and shadow in AMOS Pro (YouTube video).
In an update released two days ago, a slightly different design of the graphics and the map has now been implemented, so that the demo looks more like a cartoon. Likewise, there is now an editor version for testing, which can be used to create your own maps - which the authors explicitly encourage. (dr)
[News message: 27. Oct. 2022, 21:08] [Comments: 0]
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27.Oct.2022
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Tech-Demo: Last update for "Street Fighter 2" port
"Street Fighter 2" is the attempt to recreate the well-known beat'm up on the Amiga using the Scorpion Engine in a better way. The author is not going to develop a full game but hopes to inspire other developers. Now he has released a last update. The source code is supposed to be released soon on the Scorpion Engine Unofficial Demos repository. Changes:
- Added Shoryuken move and sound to Ryu
- Special moves are mapped to "Forward + C" (Shoryuken) and "Backward + C" (Hadouken)
- Added more energy to Ken to have more fun
- Added some grace time after Ken dies before playing the winning stance
- A bit more accurate parallax scrolling values
- Fixed bug where punch and kick animation could be performed mid air
- Fixed initial camera position jump after fade in
(dr)
[News message: 27. Oct. 2022, 20:36] [Comments: 0]
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27.Oct.2022
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Report: The AmigaOne XE, second part (Czech)
In the first part, Martina Hřebcová devoted herself to the AmigaOne XE in its entirety and subjected it to various tests. In the now published sequel she deals in detail with the use of various graphics cards and prepares test results and correlations in this very detailed article with elaborate graphics and screenshots. (dr)
[News message: 27. Oct. 2022, 14:42] [Comments: 1 - 27. Oct. 2022, 14:49]
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27.Oct.2022
Amigaworld.net (Webseite)
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Event: Amiga Apollo Meetup in Alkmaar (NL)
On November 19, the "Amiga Apollo Meetup" will take place in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. Hosted by the Dutch Apollo Vampire user group, all other Amiga and AmigaOne systems are also welcome. Social exchange is the main focus, but there is also enough space and tables to bring your own devices. Several Vampire cards will be on display and the current release 9 of ApolloOS will be shown.
The entrance fee of 15 Euros includes the cost of food and drinks, registration is by e-mail to party@amigascene.nl. More information in Dutch can be found at the title link. (snx)
[News message: 27. Oct. 2022, 11:27] [Comments: 0]
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27.Oct.2022
Thomas Wenzel (ANF) (ANF)
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Audio player: AmigaAMP 3.32 released
Thomas Wenzel wrote: After the code has been developed for a long time, I dared to release AmigaAMP 3.32 into the wild. With the 68k version, the use of decoder plugins (so-called "engines") specially adapted to AmigaAMP is possible again. So far, however, there is only one engine for WarpOS. Here is the complete list:
- Bug fixes:
- Loading whole directories now automatically expands playlists found in these directories.
- Fixed wrong behaviour when double clicking on a playlist stream entry while another stream is still in connecting status.
- Fixed handling older visualisation plugins which use an early version of the API.
- New Features:
- Each playlist entry now has its own error status.
- More detailed documentation about AmigaAMP's settings.
- 68k: Support for coprocessor plugins a.k.a. "engines". The .engine files go into the Plugins directory and can be enabled in the Decoder tab of AmigaAMP Preferences.
- 68k: Support for 10-band equalizer settings according to MHI spec v1.2
However, according to initial findings, this new version probably unfortunately triggers a still unknown bug in the ZZ9000AX MHI driver on some systems, so that playback simply never starts but stops at 0 seconds. Prisma Megamix and other MHI drivers do not seem to be affected. (dr)
[News message: 27. Oct. 2022, 10:59] [Comments: 0]
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27.Oct.2022
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Video review: "Apollo Icedrake - The fastest Amiga accelerator ever made?"
In a video, the YouTube channel 'Odd & Obsolete' presents the Apollo Icedrake accelerator card for the Amiga 1200 and describes his experiences and impressions. (dr)
[News message: 27. Oct. 2022, 07:56] [Comments: 0]
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27.Oct.2022
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Linux: Stable long-term kernel 5.10.149 for AmigaOne X1000/X5000
Parallel to new kernels (amiga-news.de reported), Christian 'xeno74' Zigotzky also provides the latest version of the stable long-term kernel for the AmigaOne X1000 and X5000. It is suitable for old Linux distributions that do not work with the latest kernels, such as Ubuntu 10.04, or if users have problems with the latest kernels.
Download: linux-image-5.10.149-X1000_X5000.tar.gz (71 MB) (dr)
[News message: 27. Oct. 2022, 06:44] [Comments: 0]
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27.Oct.2022
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AmigaOS 4.1: NovaBridge V54 available
As announced at last weekend's AmiWest 2022 (see our summary of the event), Nova Bridge is now available separately via the AMIStore for about 50 Euros (plus taxes and fees).
NovaBridge allows all 3D applications written under the old Warp3D and MiniGL to work on modern RadeonHD graphics cards (Southern Islands or Polaris). The current version of Warp3D Nova from Enhancer Software 2.2 is required. After purchase, NovaBridge is available for download in the form of the w3d_novabridge.library in the update tool and must be copied to SYS:Libs/Warp3D/HWdrivers (cf. Wiki entry on NovaBridge). (dr)
[News message: 27. Oct. 2022, 06:04] [Comments: 0]
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26.Oct.2022
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AmigaOS 4.1: SDL 2.24.0 Release Candidate 2
At the end of August, Juha 'capehill' Niemimaki had published the first release candidate for version 2.24.0 of the multimedia library SDL for AmigaOS 4.1 (amiga-news.de reported). The library is intended to make it easier for programmers to develop portable applications and is used by numerous open source games. SDL requires AmigaOS 4.1 Final Edition and optionally OpenGL ES 2.0. Today he has published the second release candidate with the following changes:
- Add more game controller mappings
- Add SDL_GetPreferredLocales support, currently hard-coded to en_GB
- Fix a crash issue due to missing nullptr check
(dr)
[News message: 26. Oct. 2022, 20:47] [Comments: 0]
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26.Oct.2022
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Dock: QDock V0.98 released
Sami Vehmaa not only tries to simplify programming in AmiBlitz 3 for others using his programming aid AB_Template, he also develops various applications and games himself like his Tetris clone for RTG-Amiga's Atris or his MP3 player Reel Deck. His latest project: a dock similar to WBDock 2 or AmiDock, which he named QDock and released the first version 0.98 of it today (YouTube video).
As he writes, QDock comes closest to his idea of a dock - in terms of programming skills. QDock requires some CPU power because animated graphics are permanently active. When it's not in use, CPU requirements are reduced to the point where it still feels responsive. A maximum of 25 icons can be arranged in the GlowIcons format, with a minimum of ten icons to keep the menu and text visible. QDock has an integrated user manual for ease of use.
The tool is available for three Euros or more and is primarily intended for emulators or Apollo cards due to the high CPU requirements. It requires AmigaOS 3.2 (3.1 might work as well, but not tested), graphics board and 22 MB RAM. (dr)
[News message: 26. Oct. 2022, 18:29] [Comments: 0]
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25.Oct.2022
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Programming language: AmiBlitz Pre-Release 3.9.7
A few moments ago, Pre-Release 3.9.7 of the programming language AmiBlitz has been released. Changes:
new:
- environmentlib: added command to check, move and clear the vbr (works only with 68010+)
- added the possibility to the debugger to move the vbr (only on 68010+ systems)
- added documentation for AsmExit (Docs/Blitzlibs/SYSTEM1.guide)
changed:
- compiler directives "SYNTAX" and "OPTIMIZE" are now capitalized tokens
- operand sizes for assembler instructions (.b, .w, .l) can now be entered capitalized (.B, .W, .L)
- the compiler understands now shift-operators "<<" and ">>"
- the compiler now allows ROL/ROR instructions to be used in basic code, e.g. test.w = $F0 ROL 2
- rewrote loading of source files other than "ab3"
fixed:
- crash when moving lines to top via ALT+CURSOR up/down
- crash when trying to copy a single line selection, if it had been selected from right to left
- holding SHIFT-CURSOR up/down did not work continously, just once
- the vbr-chcking of the debugger did not work correctly
- fixed bug in function to display standard (not tokenized) text
- crash when loading text files other than ".ab3"
- crash when undeleteing a line
- autoindent of cursor did not work
(dr)
[News message: 25. Oct. 2022, 20:18] [Comments: 0]
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25.Oct.2022
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SCSI-SD adapter: ZuluSCSI firmware 1.1.1
ZuluSCSI is a new generation of file-based SCSI hard disk and CD-ROM drive emulators. ZuluSCSI emulates a SCSI-I or SCSI-2 hard disk using an SD memory card (amiga-news.de reported). Version 1.1.1 of the firmware was released today. Changes:
- Add support for FAT filesystem without partition table
- RP2040: Fix reading very last SD card sector
(dr)
[News message: 25. Oct. 2022, 20:12] [Comments: 0]
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25.Oct.2022
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Video: Lets Make a Halloween Game in AMOS
In his latest video, Robert Smith explains how to program a fun Halloween themed puzzle game in AMOS. (dr)
[News message: 25. Oct. 2022, 06:39] [Comments: 0]
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25.Oct.2022
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Linux: "Pale Moon" browser V31.2.0
After Christian 'xeno74' Zigotzky recently compiled version 40.0 of the Artic Fox browser for Linux PowerPC (32 bit), which is based on the Pale Moon browser (amiga-news.de reported), he could now compile version 31.2.0 of the "Pale Moon" browser for Linux PowerPC (32 bit), which was released in August 2022, and make it available for the AmigaOne Linux distributions MintPPC, Debian Sid, Fienix, and Void. He also recommends installing the Palefill add-on to improve compatibility with many websites such as GitHub.
Downloads:
palemoon-31.2.0.linux-powerpc-gtk2.void.tar.gz (Browser, 55 MB)
palefill-1.23.xpi (Add-On, 50 KB) (dr)
[News message: 25. Oct. 2022, 06:15] [Comments: 0]
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25.Oct.2022
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Module player: NostalgicPlayer 1.8.0 for Windows
NostalgicPlayer is a program for playing Amiga music modules under Windows, based on APlayer. The development of the player had been started by the author Thomas Neumann in 1993 on the Amiga, later continued on BeOS and now on Windows. Besides numerous improvements, version 1.8.0 now includes a ProWizard agent that can convert numerous formats. (dr)
[News message: 25. Oct. 2022, 05:56] [Comments: 0]
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25.Oct.2022
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Bitmap graphics program: GrafX2 V2.8
Artur Jarosik has updated his port of the DPaint and Brilliance-inspired, SDL-based pixel graphics program GrafX2. This version 2.8 includes the following changes:
Port improvements:
- Window mode by default
- Better path handling
Amigaspezifische Änderungen:
- Amiga icon (in .info files) loading
- Amiga Extra Half Bright palette support
A graphics card is required. (dr)
[News message: 25. Oct. 2022, 05:41] [Comments: 0]
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25.Oct.2022
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Action adventure: Demo version of "SNAKY - The Mysterious World" available
Yoz Montana is developing a new action adventure called "SNAKY - The Mysterious World" (YouTube video). As part of an "Early Access" promotion, you can support this and other game developments of the studio by buying the demo version for the equivalent of about five Euros or more. An Amiga with 030 processor and AGA are required. (dr)
[News message: 25. Oct. 2022, 05:26] [Comments: 0]
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24.Oct.2022
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Trading simulation with RPG elements: download version of 'Aquabyss' available
The trading simulation 'Aquabyss' (screenshots, video), which was released at Amiga 37 a week ago, is now also available in the developer's web shop for just under 30 euros . The one-week delay was caused by problems with payment provider Paypal, which have not yet been completely resolved.
Payments can be made by traditional bankwire or manual PayPal payments. In both cases, the e-mail address used for registration in the shop must be specified as the intended purpose. If PayPal is used as the payment method, the amount due must be entered manually when paying. After the purchase, you have to look up the information 'ID' and 'Key' required for playing in the provider's shop, the programmer tried to illustrate the process with a simple sketch.
When sales started a week ago, the developer warned against playing the game on Vampire cards because they were simply "not 100% Amiga compatible". He is now retracting that statement (German, registration required). Users of the Apollo Discord channel apparently figured out that the problem was caused by the illegal workbench distribution 'Coffin OS': After disabling some (unspecified) commodities, the game works fine on the FPGA hardware. (cg) (Translation: cg)
[News message: 24. Oct. 2022, 19:11] [Comments: 0]
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24.Oct.2022
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Print / PDF magazine: Amiga Addict, issue 16
The sixteenth issue of the British magazine "Amiga Addict" is available. The current issue contains the following topics:
- We feature the masters of adventure point-and-click games, Lucasfilm Games in our six-page cover special.
- A new Amiga laptop solution for taking miggy software out and about!
- Ben Vost was one of Amiga Format's most passionate and dedicated editors - he was also the last! We catch up with Ben in an exclusive interview.
- 3D Amiga rendering artist Paul Kitching captures our hearts with his amazing scenes and backstory.
- Classic Amiga gaming with reviews and articles on DreamWeb, Sink Or Swim, Stardust and Lemmings 2 The Tribes.
- Hollywood v9 programming language and suite of development tools is reviewed.
- Get your WHDLoad game emulation rig working properly with our setup tutorial.
- Blackpool Play Expo show report.
- AmigaRemix joins us to discuss his passion for mods and remixing chiptune music.
- One of the best image processing systems on the Amiga is put through its paces as we test ImageFX.
- Amiga Addict regulars including user groups, news, readers letters and Stoo Cambridge of Sensible Software fame.
Amiga Addict can be ordered as print edition or as a PDF download, each as a single issue or as a subscription. (dr)
[News message: 24. Oct. 2022, 06:12] [Comments: 0]
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23.Oct.2022
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Amiwest: A-EON, Amigakit and ExecSG presentations
Traditionally, representatives of the AmigaOS 4/AmigaOne camp are attending AmiWest to give presentations about the current state of affairs and announce the next releases being worked on. This year, Trevor Dickinson and Matthew Leaman from A-EON/Amigakit were videoconferencing into the show while Steven Solie from the ExecSG team gave a presentation on site. We have briefly summarized the most important points from both presentations; the associated slides can be found at the end of this news item. A recording of the entire first day of AmiWest - including the presentations discussed here - is already available online.
A-EON's next PPC motherboard 'A1222 plus' (originally: 'Tabor') is scheduled to be shipped to end customers early next year. Dickinson considers Enrico Vidale's (ACube) statement from Amiga 37, that endusers might receive their boards in January "typical Italian optimism", he believes delivery in February or March to be more likely. The final price hasn't been decided yet - but they're trying to stay as close as possible to the original goal of offering the cheapest possible entry-level system. However, global bottlenecks in electronic components and the resulting higher prices have increased production costs significantly. Initially, 200 motherboards are to be produced, of which 100 are reserved for participants in the Early Adopter program.
Due to a shortage of P5020 CPUs, the X5000 motherboards currently being shipped by A-EON are already equipped with a P5040 quad-core processor. The price for these machine is therefore a bit higher, but the final pricing is set by the respective dealer. Said dealers would also take care of bundling the hardware with a properly licensed AmigaOS 4 (editor's note: A-EON no longer has OS4 licenses itself).
Version 2.3 of the in-house software bundle Enhancer Software will be a free an update for existing customers, it will contain "new components" in addition to an update of the 3D driver system Nova. A new version of 'Enhancer Core' will be released in October. The latter is a free compilation of the most important libraries and system modules from the enhancer package, which is intended to ensure better acceptance of the corresponding components by third-party developers and users.
A-EON's attempt to establish an operating system that has no ties to Hyperion is apparently called "Enhancer Software V54" currently and is described as a "self-booting distribution that requires an AmigaOS 4.1 license". The project now also has its own TCP stack: A PPC port of AmiTCP that also supports DHCP. However, according to Dickinson, publishing the distribution will require "6 to 9 months" of additional development time.
Novabridge, which supplements Nova with the old Warp 3D interfaces and thus makes old applications run on systems with modern graphics cards not supported by Warp 3D, was originally planned as an exclusive component of Enhancer Software V54. But due to significant interest from customers, it will also be sold separately via the in-house app store AMIStore. A price or a release date were not announced.
The second and third parts of the book series From Vultures to Vampires, originally planned as a single volume and now expanded into a trilogy, have now also been completed. Dickinson expects the second part to be released "early next year", the digital release will probably come first. The last volume will then be published shortly thereafter, that book's layout is still being worked.
Dickinson has now received a video showing the current state of the LibreOffice port from the responsible programmer Hans-Jörg Frieden, which he will publish as part of his next blog entry. The AmigaOS 4 implementation has been "completely revised" again, the betatesting will start "soon".
For ExecSG - which Dickinson expressly presents as his personal property, not that of A-EON - project manager Steven Solie explains that there are currently two variants of the kernel: Firstly, a single-core variant, which has received numerous optimizations and improvements, and which he intends to publish as soon as possible. Agreements or negotiations with Trevor Dickinson and Hyperion are still necessary here in order to clarify the exact procedure. He wants to offer ExecSG for free for "as long as possible".
Secondly, a version of the kernel with multi-core support already exists. The operating system always runs on the first core, while other tasks are currently randomly assigned to one of the available cores - in later versions, a scheduler will of course always select the currently least utilized core. However, the multi-core variant of the kernel is still very prone to crashing and is difficult to debug. A demonstration of the multi-core kernel can be seen at A-EON's AmiWest booth, but Solie describes it as "not very exciting because it keeps crashing".
In addition to minor improvements to the kernel (refer to the slides below), work is currently being done on porting the multi-core variant to A1222 plus, after which an adaptation to the AmigaOne X1000 is being planned. Solie hopes that porting the multi-core kernel to the other systems will provide new insights, since other processors are used there.
In addition to working on the kernel, Solie is also responsible for firmware updates. The U-Boot versions for X5000 and A1222 plus not only received various bug fixes, but will now also correctly initialize the additional cores of the multi-core CPUs used in these machines. Firmware updates will be distributed "soon" via A-EON. Once they're installed, the respective computers will then be "multi-core ready".
The X1000 also requires a firmware update for multi-core support. According to Solie, the problem here was that the sourcecode for the 'CFE' firmware used in that particular machine was lost - fortunately it was found again in the meantime. However, the system is so old that it can no longer be compiled with current compilers - which is why Solie is currently trying to set up an older system with the help of a virtual machine, which will then hopefully produce executable binaries.
All slides of the A-EON/Amigakit presentation (Trevor Dickinson, Matthew Leaman)
All slides from the ExecSG presentation (Steven Solie)
(cg) (Translation: cg)
[News message: 23. Oct. 2022, 22:57] [Comments: 0]
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23.Oct.2022
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Aminet uploads until 22.10.2022
The following files have been added until 22.10.2022 to Aminet:
HollywoodSP.lha dev/hwood 776K Hollywood 9.1 spanish catalog...
PyPlayer.zip dev/src 1.1M 68k Audio Player for Python 1.4.0...
device-streams.lha disk/misc 88K 68k blkcopy RDB part <> file/stre...
mhimasplayer.lha driver/aud 34K 68k MHI driver for MAS-Player (st...
FlashMandelNG_OS4.lha gfx/fract 32M OS4 Mandelbrot & Julia fractals AOS4
AmiArcadia.lha misc/emu 4.6M 68k Signetics-based machines emul...
AmiArcadiaMOS.lha misc/emu 4.9M MOS Signetics-based machines emul...
AmiArcadia-OS4.lha misc/emu 5.1M OS4 Signetics-based machines emul...
NAFCYI1991S1-B25.zip text/bfont 2.1M NAFCYI Spring 1991 (BMP Fonts)
NAFCYI1991S1-B26.zip text/bfont 2.5M NAFCYI Spring 1991 (BMP Fonts)
NAFCYI1991S1-B27.zip text/bfont 2.4M NAFCYI Spring 1991 (BMP Fonts)
NAFCYI1991S1-B28.zip text/bfont 2.3M NAFCYI Spring 1991 (BMP Fonts)
NAFCYI1991S1-25.zip text/pfont 1.6M NAFCYI Spring 1991 (PS Fonts)
NAFCYI1991S1-26.zip text/pfont 2.0M NAFCYI Spring 1991 (PS Fonts)
NAFCYI1991S1-27.zip text/pfont 1.8M NAFCYI Spring 1991 (PS Fonts)
NAFCYI1991S1-28.zip text/pfont 1.8M NAFCYI Spring 1991 (PS Fonts)
deark.lha util/arc 3.2M 68k Extract data from various fil...
IdentifyDev.lha util/libs 67K 68k Identify hardware and more
IdentifyUsr.lha util/libs 98K 68k Identify hardware and more
ReportPlus.lha util/misc 637K 68k Multipurpose utility
ReportPlus-OS4.lha util/misc 805K OS4 Multipurpose utility
Lupe.lha util/wb 388K 68k The magnifying glass program
SteMarRegDOSScripts.lha util/wb 11K 68k 7 AmigaDOS scripts by Stefano...
(snx)
[News message: 23. Oct. 2022, 08:19] [Comments: 0]
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23.Oct.2022
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OS4Depot uploads until 22.10.2022
The following files have been added until 22.10.2022 to OS4Depot:
spotless.lha dev/deb 3Mb 4.1 Your favorite debugging tool
amiarcadia.lha emu/gam 5Mb 4.0 Signetics-based machines emulator
flashmandelng.lha gra/mis 32Mb 4.1 Mandelbrot & Julia fractals ...
reportplus.lha uti/mis 805kb 4.0 Multipurpose utility
lupe.lha uti/wor 388kb 4.1 The magnifying glass program
(snx)
[News message: 23. Oct. 2022, 08:19] [Comments: 0]
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23.Oct.2022
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AROS Archives uploads until 22.10.2022
The following files have been added until 22.10.2022 to AROS Archives:
cls.i386-aros.lha uti/mis 4kb CLear Screen command. just like IBM
(snx)
[News message: 23. Oct. 2022, 08:19] [Comments: 0]
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23.Oct.2022
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MorphOS-Storage uploads until 22.10.2022
The following files have been added until 22.10.2022 to MorphOS-Storage:
Deark_1.6.3.lha Files/Archive Extracting data from va...
CloudDav_1.7.lha Network/Streaming A WebDav client
TinyGL-Update-2022-10-... System/Update This is the fifth publi...
(snx)
[News message: 23. Oct. 2022, 08:19] [Comments: 0]
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23.Oct.2022
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WHDLoad: New installers until 22.10.2022
Using WHDLoad, games, scene demos and intros by cracking groups, which were originally designed to run only from floppy disks, can be installed on harddisk. The following installers have been added until 22.10.2022:
- 2022-10-22 improved: Thunder Blade (Sega) imager fixed (Info)
- 2022-10-22 improved: Ambermoon (Thalion) added support for improved Ambermoon version 1.17 (Info)
- 2022-10-22 improved: Thunderhawk (Core Design) supports another version (Info)
- 2022-10-22 improved: Batman the Caped Crusader (Ocean) supports another version, fixed freeze on fast CPU (Info)
- 2022-10-22 updated: Streetfighter 2 (Capcom/U.S.Gold) imager fixed (Info)
- 2022-10-22 improved: Projectyle (Eldrich the Cat) splash window support, new imager, manual added, new icons and install script (Info, Image)
- 2022-10-22 improved: Oriental Games (MicroStyle/MicroProse) 68000 quitkey, new install script (Info)
- 2022-10-22 fixed: Castle Master 2 - The Crypt (Incentive/Domark) install script (Info)
- 2022-10-22 fixed: Cardiaxx (Electronic Zoo/Team 17) 'highs' file creation if trainer is used (Info)
- 2022-10-22 improved: Awesome (Psygnosis) 68000 quizkey (Info)
- 2022-10-20 improved: Night Breed (Action) (Ocean) supports another version, less chip memory required, trainer enhanced, 68000 quitkey, new install script (Info)
- 2022-10-20 improved: Castle Master 2 - The Crypt (Incentive/Domark) using fast memory, adjustable speed regulation, 68000 quitkey (Info)
- 2022-10-20 improved: Cardiaxx (Electronic Zoo/Team 17) imager updated, trainer improved, high score saving, new install script (Info)
- 2022-10-20 improved: Awesome (Psygnosis) 2nd button remap, int fixed, trainer added (Info)
(snx)
[News message: 23. Oct. 2022, 08:19] [Comments: 0]
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23.Oct.2022
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Handheld console: Blaze Entertainment announces Amiga games
Evercade (Wikipedia entry) is an ARM-based handheld console from the British manufacturer Blaze Entertainment. According to Mike Battilana's announcement at Amiga37 (video), also Blaze now announces at the title link that they have entered into an agreement with Amiga Corporation to bring Amiga games from various publishers, which have not yet been named, to the Evercade starting next year. (snx)
[News message: 23. Oct. 2022, 08:19] [Comments: 0]
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23.Oct.2022
Andreas Magerl (ANF)
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Print magazine: Amiga Future, issue 159 - preview and excerpts
Preview and excerpts of Amiga Future issue 159 (November/December 2022) have been published online meanwhile at the title link. Contents include Playfield as well as reviews of "Riamel - Black Prophecy" and the Freeway clockport version.
Amiga Future magazine is available as an English and a German printed magazine and can be bought directly from the magazine's editorial office as well as several Amiga dealers. (snx)
[News message: 23. Oct. 2022, 08:19] [Comments: 0]
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23.Oct.2022
Passione Amiga (ANF)
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Italian print/PDF magazine: Passione Amiga, issue 10
The Italian magazine "Passione Amiga" is available in digital (3 Euro) or printed (7,50 Euro) form. Its current issue consists of 48 A4 color pages and includes the following topics:
- Videogames reviews: Athanor 2 AGA - The legend of the Birdmen, River Raid Reloaded, None of Us, Minky
- Books reviews: Darkage Software - the story, A Hobbyist's Guide to THEA500 Mini
- Reportage: Passione Amiga day 2022, Amiga 37
- Amiga CD³² special
- Blender course, part 2
- Uncompromising rendering
- AmigaOS 3.2.1 update guide
- Interviews with: Jon Hare (Sensible Software), Federico 'Wiz' Croci (Simulmondo)
- Plus: Games news, Tech news, THEA500 Mini news, Demo scene, New Talents, MailBox
(snx)
[News message: 23. Oct. 2022, 08:19] [Comments: 0]
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23.Oct.2022
Thomas Wenzel (ANF)
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Updated MHI drivers for MAS-Player (standard/pro)
Thomas Wenzel writes (translated): Some time ago, in the course of the MHI revision, I also fixed a bug in the MAS player driver. At that time, however, I had only published the new driver in the developer archive mhi_dev.lha, which meant that it could hardly be found on Aminet and the old archives mhi_MASPro.lha and mhi_MASStd.lha still appeared in the search. Therefore, I have now uploaded the new drivers - both versions together - in the archive mhimasplayer.lha. (snx)
[News message: 23. Oct. 2022, 08:19] [Comments: 0]
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23.Oct.2022
Andreas Magerl (ANF)
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APC&TCP: IncaMan & Emotiworld as boxed version available
APC&TCP offers the games IncaMan and Emotiworld (amiga-news.de reported) now also as boxed version, consisting of the floppy disk, a booklet and an A3 poster.
While IncaMan is about collecting diamonds, EmotiWorld is about collecting hearts. Both games require at least an Amiga 500 with 512 KB Chip- and as much Fast-RAM, the latter one also includes an AGA version. (snx)
[News message: 23. Oct. 2022, 08:19] [Comments: 0]
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23.Oct.2022
Scene World Podcast (ANF)
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Scene World Podcast Episode #150 - Floppy Totaal
In the 150th edition of the Scene World Podcast, Jörg Dröge and Arthur Heller talk to Niek Hilkmann and Thomas Walskaar from "Floppy Totaal", the authors of the recently mentioned book "Floppy Disk Fever". The interview starts at minute 19:08. (snx)
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