FAQ / 2024-07-03 21:22:10

How to prevent Guru meditation "8000 000B" if one of the partition is unvalidated?

I added a call to DiskSalv first thing in the Startup-sequence:

DiskSalv FROM=CF2: TO:CF4: MODE=Salvage

so that it "locks" the partition and prevents the Guru meditation. Then, after having tried to repair unsuccessfully the disk, I fixed the problem using the salvage mode! Bad blocks still remained so I had to finally re-format the partition.

 

How can I start AmiKit immediately after booting Windows XP/7?

The trick that the AmiKit launcher uses is the -datapath command-line parameter to WinUAE. So, to run the same configuration as the launcher does:

  1. Create a shortcut in the Startup folder in the Start menu, in All programs.
  2. Select the shortcut, right-click, and then select "Properties".
  3. Edit the properties as follows:
    • Target:  C:\AmiKit\WinUAE\winuae.exe -datapath C:\AmiKit\WinUAE -f "../WinUAE/Configurations/AmiKit.UAE" -s use_gui=no
    • Start in: C:\AmiKit\WinUAE

 

What is your naming scheme for your computers and their IP addresses?

My naming scheme is based on Korean words at home and at work:

Computers Names Meanings IPs
Usual Computers
A4000 SangjaOppa 상자오빠 Boxy friend .11
A1200 (Evo X500) GibChingu 집친구 House friend .31
A600 JagEunChingu 작은친구 Little friend .12
Special Computers
A1000 WonlaeGeos 원래것 Original one N/A
CD32 BichWonban 빛원반 Light disc N/A
A1200 (Web Server) Chingu 친구 Friend .13
FPGA Arcade BogjeDoen 복제된 Cloned .20
THEA500Mini AOBaegMini A오백Mini A 500 mini N/A
Former Computers
WinUAE DongilGeon 동일건 Same thing N/A
A2000 HoeSangja 회상자 Time box N/A
Amiga PI
Raspberry PI 1 Model B Chamsae 참새 Sparrow .10
Raspberry PI 1 Model B Raspbmc     N/A
Others
Commodore C64 Gocham 고참 Old-timer N/A
NeXT NeXTstation DaeumYeog 다음역 Next station .32
Dell Inspiron 4000 BagsaYeongGam 박사 영감 Doctoral inspiration Pending
Dell PowerEdge 600SC Makoli 막걸리 Farmer liquor Pending
Apple iMac G3       Pending
Apple Macintosh SE       N/A
Apple Power Mac G4 Nabi 나비 Butterfly Pending
Apple Power Mac G5       Pending
HP EliteBook 2740p Tcheck 책 Book Dynamic

 

How to get the best of MWB, NewIcons, and MCP on a 16- or 32-colour screen?

The combination of the new IconLibrary, MagicWB, MCP, and NewIcons can really, really improve the visual quality of your Workbench and its icons but can be tricky to configure... After some research, two options (with two additional options each) in MCP and NewIcons control the visual display of icons:

Visual Look MCP NewIcons Comments
Unselect No Iconborder Unselect No Borders This combination results in no trashing and nice looking icons but they have ugly border and no transparency.
Unselect No Iconborder

Select No Borders

Unselect Transparent

 This combination results in old icons looking ugly.
Unselect No Iconborder

Select No Borders

Unselect Transparent		 This combination results in old icons looking ugly and icons "trashing" when being selected: between the unselected and selected states, the image looks ugly with weird colours.
Select No Border Unselect No Borders This combination is the best: all icons look nice, there is no "trashing" and, of course, no ugly borders!
Select No Border & No Backfill Unselect No Borders This combination shows ugly old icons but no trashing.

 

The winner is thus:

  • selecting only the No Border option in the No Iconborder item of the Global Features of MCP;
  • unselecting No Borders in the NewIcons preferences.

 

OS, Workbench, and Kickstart Versioning Mystery Solved

The versioning scheme on the AmigaOS differ from more recent ones. A version number is composed of two integers separated by a dot in the form <Version>.<Revision>. Hence, the version number 1.36 is greater than 1.4 . Confusing, eh?

In addition, the AmigaOS is composed of two major parts, the Kickstart and the Workbench, themselves composed of many components, such as modules, devices, and libraries; all with their own version number! But, when talking about the AmigaOS, it is most important to know which versions of the Kickstart and of the Workbench are considered.

The following figure and table try to relate the different version numbers using various sources (1, 2, 3 and EAB!). On the figure, I show some components that "migrated" among "major" versions but it's by no means comprehensive: the devil is in the details, which would require a complete analyis of all the change logs!

 

AmigaOS History 

 

Years AmigaOS Kickstart Workbench
1982-3 <0.4 <24  
1984 0.4 23, 24  
1985 0.6 26.1, 26.7 27.3
1985 0.7 27.3 27.5
1985 0.9 29.2, 29.11 29.2
1985 1.0 30.x 30.x
1986 1.1 (NTSC) 31.34
(PAL) 32.34		 31.334
1987 1.2 33.166, 33.180 33.43, 33.46, 33.47, 33.56, 33.59, 33.61
1988 1.3 34.5 34.1, 34.20, 34.21
1988 1.3.2 34.5 34.28
1991 1.3.3 34.5 34.34
1989 1.4a15 35 36.1
1990 1.4b1 36.2, 36.15 36.8
1991 2.0 36.141 36.68
1991 2.01 36.143 36.69
1991 2.02 36.207 36.70
1991 2.03 36.209 36.102
1992 2.04 37.175 37.67
1992 2.05 37.299, 37.300, 37.350 37.71, 37.72, 37.73
1992 2.1 37.299, 37.300, 37.350 38.35, 38.36
1992 3.0 39.106 39.29
1994 3.1 40.55, 40.56, 40.58, 40.60, 40.63, 40.68, 40.70, 40.72 40.42, 40.43
2018 3.1.4 46.143 45.5
2019
 3.1.4.1
 46.151
 45.194
2021
 3.2
 47.96 47.2
1996 (3.2)1,2 (Walker) 43.1B 40.42, 43.4
1999 3.5 40.63 44.2, 44.4, 44.5
2000 3.9 45.57 45.1, 45.2, 45.3
2006
 4.0
 52.2
 52.1
2008
 4.1
 53.5, 53.8
 52.2
2014
 4.1 FE
 53.70
 53.70

 

Frequencies Mysteries

Connecting your Amiga to a display screen used to be simple and straightforward with "stock" Amigas in the 80's and 90's... but nowadays, with LCD (and other plasma displays) and graphic cards of all shapes and forms, it's quite confusing!
 

Here are some good resources about converters/adapters:

 

How Can I Access the Modern WWW on My Old Amiga?

The WWW evolved a lot since the last Amiga was produced and, for better or worst, CSS, JavaScript, and HTML5 are now de-facto standard for many Web sites. Also, many Web sites use SSL even without good reasons. Finally, a lot of Web sites are now Web applications, doing some kind of AJAX.

In these conditions, our Amigas are a bit at a disadvantage... Although the famous and well-featured IBrowse receives again regular updates, it doesn't support CSS and has limited support for JavaScript.

But complements/alternatives exist! Beyond other Web browsers, like Links (and its v2.12 for Amiga), there are the possibility to interpose a proxy that convert modern Web sites into clickable images. This Web site explains very well these alternatives:

  • Web Rendering Proxy (WRP): to render modern Web sites as clickable images;
  • Squid: to perform TLS/SSL handshakes with modern Web sites from a browser with SSL;
  • Crypto Ancienne (Cryanc): to integrate TLS in pre-C99 code.

For our Amigas, WRP is really great. Install it on your favourite Raspberry PI and point your browser to it and you can access modern Web sites, albeit a bit slower... 

 

Prince of Persia, Another World, and Flashback

Within three years of 1989, three games were released that used rotoscoping for their characters. Out of these three, two look very similar to the point of being sometimes confused for each other. So, let's sort them out!

  1. In 1989, Brøderbund released Prince of Persia, written by Jordan Mechner. The first game to use rotoscoping, its titular character is a prince that must save a princess, played by Mechner's younger brother. It draws from One Thousand and One Nights stories and other stories.
  2. In 1991, Delphine Software released Another World, written by Éric Chahi. The second game to use rotoscoping, it tells the story of a physicist who is teleported to another world and, with the help of a local inhabitant, who must escape prison and avoid murder. (Confusingly, this game is called Out of This World in North America! )
  3. In 1992, Delphine Software (again!) released Flashback, (partly) written by Paul Cuisset. The third game to use rotoscoping, it involves a secret agent who discovers that an alien, hostile race has infiltrated the human race and attempts to destroy the "brain" controlling these aliens.

While Prince of Persia has distinctive visuals inspired by One Thousand and One Nights stories, the other may look alike superficially. Indeed, they both feature a character who could have been played by the same actor, different only by his clothes. They also both take place on alien planets, starting in some natural, alien environments and alien inhabitants (both animal and people).

 

Links

Some interesting, Amiga-related links, in no particular order but by categories.

 

Information

 

Programming

 

Emulators

 

Misc