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Amiga Update (2006-02-28)
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A M I G A | 060228 | U P D A T E
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"SO THE WORLD MAY KNOW"
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AMIGA and the Amiga logo are trademarks of Amiga, Inc.
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N E W U P D A T E T O O S 4 P R E - R E L E A S E
N E W M O R P H O S F O R P O W E R U P
H A A G E & P A R T N E R / A L I N E A D E A L
E P I S T U A L I N S T A N T M E S S E N G E R
D E S S E R T R A C I N G U P D A T E
R T G P A T C H F O R L I G H T W A V E
M I N D S P A C E V E R S I O N 0 . 4 * B E T A *
W O R L D W A R I I S T R A T E G Y G A M E
U P D A T E D U S B S T A C K - P O S E I D O N
W O O K I E C H A T U P D A T E D T O 2 . 0
L A T E S T C O M M O D O R E N E W S
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Editor's Thoughts and Introduction:
It's been more challenge to put together a newsletter this month than
normal lately. We actually had to leave out a few things we might have
included other months, such as some local club meetings. We assume
most of these organizations have other methods for contacting members,
though we're happy to help. (If you really want to ensure we publish
your upcoming club meeting, please send us a press release. That will
increase your chances from "maybe" to "almost certain".) Are we
getting back to those heady days when we published two and sometimes
more newsletters a month? Well, no, but we're happy with the amount of
news around for February. OK, not all the stories are that impressive
but it's still fun. And all this does include the official
availability of the latest OS4 pre-release.
Whither the Power PC??
This has been an interesting month for the Amiga from a processor
point of view. With Apple pulling out of the PPC world for future
computers, these quotes showed up in "InformationWeek Daily" this
month:
"IBM and Freescale will no longer need to dedicate resources to
develop Power as a PC processor, and now can concentrate on more
successful and strategic end markets. That's a good thing, executives
from IBM and Freescale said during a news conference on Monday.
"The loss of Apple 'allows us to free up resources that were tied up
with competing with Intel on their home turf," said Michel Mayer,
chairman and CEO of Freescale. "We have many segments now in front of
us where both the volume and innovation are more significant [than
Apple]. It was not a good utilization of our resources to continue to
fight Intel. We'll let [Advanced Micro Devices Inc.] do that, and they
do it well. We are selling millions and millions of Power
architecture processors in many segments across the world, and [Apple]
was a tiny, tiny piece of the iceberg.'"
Long time readers may recall editorials years ago when I wondered
why, if Amiga were now a software company as they stated, they had not
gone with the most prevalent market for promoting Amiga OS. The quotes
above certainly had me thinking back to that decision.
But then, there was this from c|net:
"IBM's advances mean its Power6 chip, due in the middle of 2007, will
run at speeds between 4 and 5 gigahertz, at least double the speed of
current Power chips found in server computers that run corporate
networks, Meyerson said.
The Power6 chip will compete against offerings from IBM rivals such as
Intel, Advanced Micro Devices and Sun Microsystems."
And finally, this from "Electronic News":
"Motorola spin-off Freescale Semiconductor has joined Power.org as a
founding member.
"Freescale and IBM announced the membership in the organization
focused on development around the IBM_s Power processor and
collaboration between the companies at the International Solid-State
Circuits Conference in San Francisco.
"The two companies plan several key collaborative efforts, including
creating a common instruction set architecture, developing innovations
to extend the Power processors to a broader set of customer
applications, enabling Linux on the architecture, and expanding the
ecosystem through marketing programs.
"'With IBM and Freescale joining together again, this time with other
stakeholders, Power Architecture technology maintains the advantage of
having multiple chip suppliers,' said Joseph Byrne, senior analyst
with the Linley Group, in a statement. 'It also gains the benefit of
managed evolution.'
"The collaboration is designed to extend Power Architecture technology
deeper into next-generation products in end applications including
consumer electronics, industrial, automotive, enterprise systems,
telecommunications and supercomputers, the companies said in a
statement."
What are we to make from all this? Only time will tell (one of my
favorite sayings, I'm afraid, given the wacky world of tech). But that
initial story from "InformationWeek Daily" still has me very nervous
right now.
Whatever happens, we hope you enjoy this issue.
Brad Webb,
Editor
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N E W U P D A T E T O O S 4 P R E - R E L E A S E
8 February, 2006
Hyperion Entertainment announces the immediate availability of the
fourth update of the AmigaOS4.0 Developer Prerelease.
The new features in this pre-release include:
* All-new Warp3D with support for Voodoo 3/4/5 and ATI Radeon models
7000, 7200, 7500, 9000, 9200 and 9250.
* Petunia Just-In-Time 68k emulator.
* All-new Intuition with advanced features like flicker-free window
redraw and new screen dragging features (among other things, screens
can be dragged freely in any direction and will reveal other screens
beneath even if dragged sideways)
* Updated ExecSG kernel
* New Extended Input System allows the use of mouse wheels on both
PS/2 and USB mice, and the use of Multimedia keyboards (with keys like
volume control, play/pause etc)
* And much much more. Practically ALL components of the system have
been updated.
Registered AmigaOS4.0-Owners can download the update in our Download
area immediately.
Again, we would like to thank all of our customers for their continued
support.
http://www.hyperion-entertainment.biz/
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N E W M O R P H O S F O R P O W E R U P
23 February, 2006
The MorphOS Development Team has released version 1.4.5 of MorphOS
1.4.5 for Classic Amigas with a PowerUP/PPC card.
"The MorphOS Development Team is pleased to announce the immediate
availability of an updated MorphOS version for computers equipped with
PowerUP accelerator cards. The included changes are as follows:
- Vastly improved graphics hardware compatability: MorphOS now i
ncludes 68K drivers for popular graphics cards such as the
Cybervision64, Cybervision 64/3D and the Picasso IV.
- Problems on machines with more than 128MB of memory were fixed.
- hal.com1 was updated in order to allow proper support of CV3D.
- The RegTool (registration application) was updated as well.
- An experimental version of 4IDE support was added. (Please read the
IDE splitter section in the "morphos.readme" text file.)
- The update also includes new Hungarian locale settings.
The MorphOS Free Edition for PowerUP can be downloaded from
http://powerup.morphos-team.net. We suggest to carefully read the
instructions on the website as well as in the included "readme" text
to make the installation process as effortless as possible.
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H A A G E & P A R T N E R / A L I N E A D E A L
Alinea Computer takes over distribution of Haage&Partner's Amiga
products
Glashtten/Glashtten, Germany, February 17th, 2006 - Haage & Partner
and Alinea Computer announce that Alinea Computer will take over
distribution of the Amiga products of Haage&Partner. This applies for
the following products:
* AmigaWriter
* ArtEffect
* StormC
* Pagestream (German Amiga versions)
Information about the products can be found at the Alinea Computer
website and also from the Haage&Partner website.
Please send all your dealer and support requests for these products to
Alinea Computer. All end user can get the products from their local
Amiga dealers, but also directly from the Alinea Computer OnlineShop.
Haage&Partner Computer GmbH
www.haage-partner.de
Alinea Computer
www.alinea-computer.de
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E P I S T U A L I N S T A N T M E S S E N G E R
23 February, 2006
Epistula is to AmigaOS what GAIM is to Linux and Windows. For people
not in the know, GAIM is an instant messenger application which can
handle a variety of IM protocols, for example Microsoft MSN, AOL AIM
and Yahoo Messenger.
I know JabberWocky can provide a similar service, but that requires
extra setting up with Jabber ID's etc. This way, you can log straight
onto your favourite protocol, by-passing any need for yet another IM
account. One of the main reasons I started to write this client was
because I couldn't be bothered with Jabber... I can't be the only
one... can I?
Unlike GAIM, Epistula is written in a modular fashion in that each
'protocol' is a plugin which can be installed, and updated, seperately
from the main application and other plugins.
Epistula is initially only in development for AmigaOS 4, but hopefully
in not-to-distant future, will also be made available for MorphOS,
AmigaOS 3.1 and AROS.
People looking for individual 68k instant messengers available now
wouldn't be going far wrong looking at JabberWocky, AmiMSN and
AmigAIM.
News
After a period of internal testing by several members of the AmigaOS
4 beta testing team, and a developers pre-release shortly after, it
seems that a lot of the bugs are now finally squashed within Epistula
itself, leaving only the MSN plugin to be fully debugged once
codesets.library is finally released this week.
Work is on-going and I'm busy implementing the last couple of
functions in the plugins for adding, moving and removing contacts from
the contact list. A new 'general messages' window is now almost
complete and work has begun on the preliminary file transfer
interface.
Thanks again to the people who have registered Epistula, your support
is appreciated. Incidentally, you've indirectly helped me buy a new
tyre for my MG TF-160, stopping me going further into debt before pay
day! :-)
The following should be available by 11pm tonight (23.02.2006):
* Epistula 50.11 Released
* MSN Plugin 1.2 Released
* Screenshots Added
* Updated Plugin Development Kit
o Updated Autodoc
o Updated Skeleton Plugin
o Removed protocol_requestchat() function
o Updated protocol_sendmessage() function
* Catalogs Available
o Provided as an archive containing both a .ct and .catalog
files
o Added Greek catalog information/download as provided by
George Sokianos
* Cleaned Links
o Fixed links to MUI custom classes
o Updated AmiSSL link with correct URL and authors
o Moved PDK and Locale links
* New PacMan-esque logo. I had to do it in Xara3D, much rather
have done it in Candy Factory 2 ;-)
http://www.the-snakepit.co.uk/epistula/
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D E S S E R T R A C I N G U P D A T E
25 February, 2006
There are three patches available for the full version and the demo.
The demo of Desert Racing (230MByte file, needs 600MB HD) can be also
obtained from the Support-Homepage.
The demo version isn't needed to be downloaded again it is sufficient
to apply the patch which is only a few KByte.
The patches for the demo version are available on the Desert Racing
Supportpage on http://www.apc-tcp.de
The patches for the full version can be only obtained via Mail from
info@apc-tcp.de because of piracy.
For a patch for the full version we need the real name and if not
bought directly from APC&TCP the dealers name and the bill number.
http://www.apc-tcp.de
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R T G P A T C H F O R L I G H T W A V E
12 February, 2006
Description: Patches Lightwave's rendering to work on RTG
Download: lightwave_rtg_patch.lha
Version: 1.0
Author: Stephen Fellner
Submitter: Stephen Fellner
Email: sf amiga/gmail com
Requirements: AmigaOS4.0, Lightwave 3.5+
Category: graphics/raytrace
License: Freeware
Distribute: yes
FileID: 1597
Released by popular request.
LightWave RTG Patch is a small tool to allow LightWave to correctly
function on RTG-only systems running AmigaOS4.
LightWave's rendering preview expects a classic Amiga planar screen to
be opened and treats it as such, performing direct access to the
screen's planes. This does not work under RTG graphic systems because
they do not support the classical planar screen formats used on old
Amiga hardware. Unfortunately it is not possible to disable the
preview, therefore the only way to make it work is to patch it.
This patch must be started once (and only once!) before starting
LightWave. It can be stopped by a CTRL+C command. This is an ugly
hack, therefore it is not guarranteed to work on future versions of
OS4. Also be catious using it, I am not responsible for any damange
caused by the use this patch!
http://os4depot.net/?function=showfile&file=graphics/raytrace/
lightwave_rtg_patch.lha
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M I N D S P A C E V E R S I O N 0 . 4 * B E T A *
{Ordinarily, we avoid reporting on unabashedly beta software. However,
this one is just too fascinating to pass up. So I made an exception
this time. As Editor, I get to do that once in a while. Brad}
MindSpace Version 0.4
The All-Together Now release
MindSpace and all its associated IP, files, icons, documentation and
everything are copyright Yoodoo2/Riba/AST 2005-6.
MindSpace enables the user to produce:
* flowcharts
* a range of UML diagrams
* MindMaps and Brainstorms
* Silly little pictures
In the future, MindSpace will output template code for C/C++
structures, functions and classes.
MindSpace Requirements
Amiga running OS4 (PPC)
Not much Hard Drive space
Not much Ram
Minimum Workbench resolution 800x600 (for the moment)
You can contact the author at : yoodoo2@ast-workshops.co.uk or via pm
at Amigaworld.net
http://www.ast-workshops.co.uk/MindSpace/
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W O R L D W A R I I S T R A T E G Y G A M E
25 February, 2006
Description: World War II strategy war game
Download: ww2.lha
Version: 3.1
Author: Steven Solie
Submitter: Steven Solie
Email: ssolie/telus net
Homepage: http://www3.telus.net/ssolie
Requirements: OS4 update 4
Category: game/board
Replaces: game/board/ww2.lha
License: Freeware
Distribute: yes
FileID: 1658
Short: World War II strategy war game
Author: ssolie()telus.net (Steven Solie)
Uploader: ssolie()telus.net (Steven Solie)
Type: game/board
Version: 3.1
Requires: AmigaOS 4.0 Pre-release 4 or higher
DESCRIPTION
===========
This is a free computer version clone of the "Axis & Allies" board
game by Milton Bradley.
The biggest difference between this version and all the other attempts
(both commercial and non-commercial) is that this implementation is
exclusively for the Amiga! :)
The game is now complete with all the 2nd Edition rules implemented.
Please see the included AmigaGuide file for more details.
The next stage in development will be to expand the network playing
options and add optional rules and configuration options. I'm also
considering implementing the other versions of the various other A&A
games available including the revised edition, Europe, Pacific and
D-Day. Your input will help determine what will be done next so do not
hesitate to contact me with your request.
HISTORY
=======
3.1 2006-02-25 - Completed entire 2nd Edition rule set.
- Replaced ARexx client with a Lua client.
- GUI should now be a bit more user friendly and
stable.
- Improved look of GUI a bit.
NOTICE
======
This program uses Anti-Grain Geometry package for some rendering.
The Anti-Grain Geometry Project
A high quality rendering engine for C++
http://antigrain.com
Anti-Grain Geometry - Version 2.0
Copyright (C) 2002 Maxim Shemanarev (McSeem)
Permission to copy, use, modify, sell and distribute this software
is granted provided this copyright notice appears in all copies.
This software is provided "as is" without express or implied
warranty, and with no claim as to its suitability for any purpose.
{Information from the excellent OS4 Depot, http://os4depot.net/ Brad}
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U P D A T E D U S B S T A C K - P O S E I D O N
Short: Poseidon USB Stack Update 3.3
Uploader: chrisly@platon42.de (Chris Hodges)
Author: chrisly@platon42.de (Chris Hodges)
Type: hard/drivr
Version: 3.3 (23-Feb-06)
Requires: Highway/Subway/Algor or a compatible USB card
Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Poseidon USB Stack is a software solution that unleashes
the possibilities of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) and the devices
with USB interface, ranging from mice, keyboards, tablets,
joysticks, printers, scanners, webcams, digicams, flash card
readers, zip drives, floppy disk drives, harddisks, memory sticks,
ethernet adapters, scanners and audio adapters to less common
things like power supplies, GPS location devices or finger print
readers. It is intended to be a solution for all systems.
Big news
~~~~~~~~
V3.3
- New CAMD USB MIDI class driver!
- New Firmware Upgrading class driver!
- HID class improvements.
- Trident GUI layout improved.
- Several bugfixes.
- E3B hardware drivers optimizations and fixes.
Contact address
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any mail, comments or donations welcome:
Chris Hodges Account: 359 68 63
Motorstr. 34a Bank : Sparkasse FFB (700 530 70)
80809 Munich IBAN : DE61 7005 3070 0003 5968 63
Germany SWIFT : BYLADEM1FFB
Tel.: +49-89/54843054 WWW: http://www.platon42.de/
Email: chrisly@platon42.de IRC: platon42 on EfNet/Arcnet
{Information from Aminet, http://us.aminet.net/ Brad}
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W O O K I E C H A T U P D A T E D T O 2 . 0
18 February, 2006
{Also a beta, but also worth knowing about, and apparently further
long in development than Mindspace. Brad}
This is a basic IRC client for AmigaOS. It's not complete yet, but
here's a beta for everyone to play with.
It's FREE to use. It is "non-crippled shareware", which means I'll
accept donations from people for the use of this program (suggested
donation is $10 USD), but if you dont want to pay anything, you dont
have to. The program will not be crippled in any way or require a
keyfile.
There is some documentation now to help explain WookieChat commands,
and hopefully make the program easier to understand for people new to
IRC.
February 18th 2006 - WookieChat 2.0 - DCC CHAT support added, Outgoing
DCC SEND works on OS3 now and is compatible with XChat, Outgoing DCC
SEND is much faster now (by a factor of 2x to 4x), AmIRC/XChat style
multi column display added (optional, can be toggled on and off
easily), AmIRC style nick completion added (optional), and quite a few
bugfixes. More details are available in changelog.txt.
http://wookiechat.amigarevolution.com/wookiechat/index.html
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L A T E S T C O M M O D O R E N E W S
{Because it's worth keeping an eye on them. Brad}
9 February, 2006
Commodore International Corporation, the provider of digital media
products and content distribution, and SupportPlus Europe BV
(SupportPlus), a company active in sourcing and distribution of
consumer electronic products, announced today that they have signed an
agreement under which Commodore will acquire all shares of
SupportPlus. This announcement follows an earlier press release on
21 October 2005. The acquisition will be paid partly in cash and
partly in shares of Commodore and is expected to be formally closed in
the next weeks, subject to certain conditions.
Since its inception in 1999, SupportPlus has become a leading supplier
of consumer electronic products for audio, video, and domestic
appliances markets in Europe and Australia. The company reported EUR
85 million in revenues in its financial year 2004/2005.
The acquisition provides Commodore with a unique opportunity to
improve its services and product offering to its clients, while
leveraging the distribution infrastructure and strong sourcing
capabilities of SupportPlus in China. Commodore and SupportPlus have
entered the US markets following the successful 2006 International CES
in Las Vegas earlier this year. This transaction underlines the
ambition of Commodore to become a key player in the markets of digital
media products and content distribution.
SupportPlus was already an exclusive sourcing and distribution partner
of Commodore before the transaction.
The presence of SupportPlus in most key markets, their focused and
successful sales force and extensive sourcing network in Asia
strengthens Commodoreâ's ability to develop and sell its premium
productsâ said Ben van Wijhe, President & CEO of Commodore. He
continues, "SupportPlus adds an important dimension to enhance our
already strong value chain and will highly contribute to our ambition
for a fast market penetration for Commodore Productsâ".
Eugene van Os, Managing Director of SupportPlus, said "We are all
excited to add the richness of a legendary brand to SupportPlus'
proven-successful sales force. The combination of the strength and
experience of the two companies sets a solid platform to take our
joint business plan to the next level."
About SupportPlus Europe B.V.
SupportPlus is a supplier of consumer electronic products in Europe,
Asia, USA and Australia. It has offices in eight European countries
nd Hong Kong, Shanghai, USA and Melbourne in the Western Pacific
region. SupportPlus was winner of the 2005 China Trader Award with
its successful business model which is based on substantial product
volumes in combination with an efficient distribution model. The
company currently has over 150 employees in the fields of sourcing,
quality assurances, sales and worldwide logistics.
About Commodore International Corporation
Commodore International Corporation - which acquired Commodore
International B.V. from Tulip Computers in 2005 - is a designer,
creator and full-service provider of digital media products, content
and services. The company sells a complete line of portable digital
media products under the "Commodore" brand name, and provides legal
music and media downloads - all with multi-channel distribution
through broadband, cable and satellite. In addition, the company has
developed several innovative media applications such as the Commodore
MediaBox and the Commodore MediaTower.
For further information visit www.commodoreworld.com
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Amiga Update on the net:
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Stop by and check out our archive! Now in our 12th publication year.
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Copyright 2006 by Brad Webb. Freely distributable, if not modified.
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