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TopWhatIFF? For The Creative Amiga User
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CONTENTS============================================================================ -=# WhatIFF? - Issue 5.21 - August 2026 #=- Music: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ?A few words from the editor and meet the writers of WhatIFF? EDITORS DESK---- AMIGA NEWS--------- MEET THE WRITERS--- ? Where Amigans Speak Freely and Reader Letters! SHELL TALK------ TALK BACK---------- ? Reviews of hardware and software, old and new. REVIEWS--------- GAME REVIEWS------- ? Guides and support for all things Amiga. GUIDES---------- ARTICLES----------- ? Interviews and the latest of Aminet over 4 months. TALKING AMIGA--- AMINET PULSE------- ? Amiga related links and Amiga vendor websites. LINKS----------- AMIGA VENDORS------ AMIGA GROUPS------- ? Cover disk contents and contributors. COVER DISK------ -==========================================================================- *All content copyright of the respective authors 2026* -==========================================================================-
TopFrom The Editor's Desk
CONTENTS ============================================================================ From The Editor's Desk - by: Timo Paul ============================================================================ Welcome to the August issue of WhatIFF?, if you are sitting reading this at your real Amiga in the August heat, then thank you. Our passion for the Amiga hobby never rests but Summer can definitely dampen it. As much as I enjoy summer, the sweltering heat, humidity and dripping sweat make for strange bedfellows. Even though, the Amiga scene has been moving along quickly with many new releases and updates. Once such example is my favourite unpacker, Avalanche which has received a nice graphical user overhaul. Aminet is a wonderful place as you can view every week the new projects and programs people are working on. If anything Aminet really shows the Amiga is so far from being dead, instead it is thriving. And thanks to all the Amiga users creating new software and hardware we have another packed issue. To top it off, we also have Marytn back with his in depth hardware reviews. For this issue he is looking at the DriveRDY, Alinea Fan Adapters and the External Compact Gotek. Plus more! In regards to guides and articles, Kristian returns with a great guide on using a Raspberry Pi as an Amiga hotspot, Amiga 101 guides: making a script to turn off and on Roadshow, Amiga compatible email account, Easy 3D text in LightWave, and Amiga WIFI MAC address finder. Our big article this issue continues the Japan theme and looks as the impact the Amiga had in Japan and what it was used for. Finally we have some fascinating interviews with Axel Fridrich the developer of Kaboomania, Stefan Reinauer developer of xSysInfo, Thomas L?bker who created the Mac application Amiga Imager, and lastly Pawel Tukatsch, the progammer behind Orbital Mission. A rather packed issue again, thank you to everyone who has contributed to this issue. Please enjoy it, be it on a real Amiga, online or even printed out. Until issue 5.22 in December, take care and keep the Amiga spirit alive! TimoTopFrom The Editor's Desk
CONTENTS ============================================================================ Top Amiga News - August 2026 ============================================================================ The Amiga scene has had a remarkable August, with a historic legal settlement, a new direction for AmigaOS 3, fresh RTG development, new games, new hardware and a steady stream of software releases. After decades of uncertainty, the biggest story is the settlement between Amiga Corporation and Hyperion. But what follows may be even more important for owners of classic 68K Amigas. THE AMIGA LEGAL WARS ARE OVER! After years of courtroom battles, arguments over intellectual property and more twists and turns than an Amiga adventure game, August brought genuinely historic news: Hyperion Entertainment and Amiga Corporation have reached a settlement ending their ongoing legal disputes. The agreement establishes a clearer framework for the Amiga and Commodore intellectual property. Hyperion's existing AmigaOS 3.2 and 3.3 distribution rights become transitional, while Amiga Corporation takes responsibility for the future development of the classic 68K AmigaOS. That could be one of the most important changes to the Amiga platform in decades. The community has spent years wondering who actually had the right to develop, license and distribute the operating system. Nothing has been announced regarding a new FPGA Amiga, so it is important not to get carried away. But after decades of uncertainty, the Amiga's future suddenly looks considerably more interesting. AMIGAOS 3 IS MOVING FORWARD The biggest surprise following the settlement may be what Amiga Corporation is planning for the classic 68K Amiga. Under the new arrangements, Hyperion will hand over source code, revision history and documentation for AmigaOS 3.1.4 and its updates, including fixes and updates. Code that was backported from AmigaOS 4 is excluded from that transfer, and the exact treatment of some OS 3.2/3.3 code still needs clarification. Hyperion will also release the developers involved in AmigaOS 3 from their obligations to the Belgian company, helping Amiga Corporation continue development after Hyperion's withdrawal from the 68K market. Amiga Corporation has made it clear that the classic OS is not simply being abandoned. The intention is to continue development of AmigaOS 3, building on the work that has accumulated over the years. For owners of classic Amigas, this could be one of the most important developments in years. AmigaOS 3 has remained remarkably capable, but modern features have often depended on third-party solutions. The legal settlement may therefore be more than the end of an old dispute. It could be the beginning of a new chapter for AmigaOS 3. AMIGA GETS ITS OWN RTG SYSTEM And if the legal news was not enough, Amiga Corporation followed it with another significant announcement. At Kickstart UK in Derby, Mike Battilana presented details of Amiga Corporation's own RTG (Retargetable Graphics) system. Amiga-News reports that the system has now been completed. RTG is important because it provides Amiga software with a standard way to use graphics hardware beyond the original chipset's capabilities. A modern, Amiga-controlled RTG solution could therefore become an important part of the platform's future. The presentation also covered wider development work around the classic OS, including networking and other system components. Taken together with the new legal arrangements, this suggests something more ambitious than simply preserving AmigaOS 3. Amiga Corporation is laying groundwork for continued development. MAGICMENU RETURNS - AFTER 24 YEARS! One of the classic Amiga desktop enhancements has unexpectedly returned to active development. AmiKit publisher Jan Zahurancik has released MagicMenu 3.0 - the first update to the popular menu enhancer in 24 years. MagicMenu replaces Workbench's standard menus with a much more configurable system. The new release gives pull-down and pop-up menus their own settings, adds a new MUI preferences editor, adjustable drop shadows and opening delays, and fixes around 30 crashes, hangs and memory leaks. There is even a little piece of WhatIFF? history here. MagicMenu was mentioned in our April issue as a useful addition to an A1200 setup - although the older version was found to be rather sluggish on an A600. It's another wonderful example of the Amiga community refusing to leave good old software behind. Twenty-four years between releases is one heck of a version gap! THE A1200 RETURNS - WITH ZZAP! The forthcoming THEA1200 is getting closer, and there is now another reason for British Amiga fans to be interested. The full-size A1200 recreation will feature a working keyboard, AmigaOS Workbench, HDMI output, USB connectivity and 25 built-in games. Early UK launch machines will also come with a 36-page collector's edition of ZZAP! Amiga. The magazine includes new features and reviews, along with an Alien Breed comic, making it rather more than just a promotional leaflet. For anyone who remembers waiting for the latest issue of ZZAP! or Amiga Format to arrive, it is a wonderfully appropriate bonus. URBX WARRIORS: THE LOST CITY The Amiga is not just receiving hardware recreations - developers are still making ambitious new games for the original machines. UrbX Warriors: The Lost City is being developed for Amiga AGA and CD32, as well as the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. The project comes from Tony Warriner and Stoo Cambridge, two veterans with deep connections to the Amiga's golden age and classic Revolution Software titles. The game mixes arcade action, exploration and light RPG elements, with players fighting through interconnected areas while discovering hidden routes and secrets. It is hard not to smile at the thought of veterans of the Amiga's golden age returning to the platform decades later. KABOOMANIA BLOWS UP ON AMIGA If frantic maze-based multiplayer action is more your thing, KABOOMANIA has arrived. Developed by Axel Friedrich, the game takes the classic bomber-style formula and gives it a modern makeover while specifically targeting Amiga hardware. It supports original Amiga systems including A500 and A1200/CD32 configurations. There is another very Amiga connection too: the soundtrack was composed by Chris Huelsbeck, whose credits include Turrican, Giana Sisters, Apidya and Katakis. Not bad for a computer that officially stopped being manufactured decades ago! WORMS: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT LIVES AGAIN Just when you thought Worms: The Director's Cut had finally been left in the past, its original creator came along and gave it a new lease of life. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Worms, Andy Davidson has released a free expansion for the Amiga-exclusive Director's Cut. The expansion adds more than 40 new levels, over 50 new sample sets, 10 new terrain types and plenty of new teams and content. It was created with contributions from members of the retro and Amiga communities. Thirty years on, the game is still being developed for the machine it originally called home. That is about as Amiga as it gets. AMIGAOS 3.x SOFTWARE KEEPS MOVING While the OS itself is gaining renewed attention, the wider AmigaOS 3.x software scene remains remarkably active. Amiberry 8.3 continues to improve emulation, while vAmiga 4.5 keeps pushing Amiga emulation forward on modern Macs. Recent AmigaOS software includes BoingTube, which provides access to YouTube content from classic AmigaOS 3.2 through a native application and a local home-network backend. Dir Me Up 4.30 brings another update to the commercial file manager, while AmiTCP_NG 4.1.3a provides a modern open-source TCP/IP stack with DHCP, DNS caching, packet filtering and CPU-specific optimisations. GloomReforged AGA continues to improve the classic Doom-style games, and new development tools such as Exile and CopperSharp68k demonstrate that people are still writing genuinely new software for 68K Amigas. The sheer variety is a useful reminder that the Amiga is no longer simply a platform for preserving old software. REMEMBERING DR. TIM KING August also brought some sad news for the Amiga community. Dr. Tim King, who passed away at the end of July, played a key role in the development of AmigaDOS. His earlier work on the Tripos operating system at MetaComCo helped form an important part of the Amiga's operating system. While the Amiga continues to evolve, it is worth remembering the people whose work made the original platform possible. THE COMMUNITY KEEPS GOING August has also seen the usual stream of meetings, shows and gatherings. Kickstart Amiga took place in Derby on 7-8 August, bringing together developers, enthusiasts and hardware projects. Mike Battilana's Amiga Corporation presentation there made the event particularly significant. Evoke 2026 takes place in Cologne from 21-23 August, with an alternative platform competition that explicitly includes retro computers. And that may be the biggest story of all. After more than three decades, the Amiga is not simply surviving on nostalgia. New games are being released, new hardware is being developed, modern software continues to appear, and the people who grew up with the machine are still making things for it. Not bad for a computer that was supposed to be dead by the mid-1990s! SOURCES Sources consulted for this August 2026 column: Amiga Corporation - August 2026 update and announcements Hyperion Entertainment - settlement announcement Amiga-News.de - August 2026 news archive GenerationAmiga - Amiga Corporation OS and RTG development English Amiga Board - community discussions AmiBay - Amiga community discussions Amiga.org - Amiga community news and discussion News checked on 16 August 2026. Details and release dates can change after publication, so readers should check the original sources for the latest information.TopLetters From WhatIFF? Readers
CONTENTS ============================================================================ Talk Back: Reader Letters ============================================================================ Welcome to Talk Back, the section of the magazine where we publish a select few of the letters that we receive. Thank you to everyone who has written in and those who have gone on to write articles for the magazine. We always welcome any written contributions to the magazine. Everyone has a unique perspective and Amiga story to tell. If you wish to write to the magazine or contribute then please contact us at: submissions@whatiff.info ----------------------------------------------------------------------------TopWhere Amigans Speak Freely!
CONTENTS ============================================================================ Shell Talk - by: ByteBandit ============================================================================ Commodore Reloaded... But Which Way Is It Going? When Commodore disappeared from the scene, many of us assumed that the famous blue-and-white logo had finally reached the end of the road. The company that brought the C64 into millions of homes, created a gaming revolution and gave us the Amiga seemed destined to live only in memories, museums and emulator packages. Then came the resurrection. The new Commodore, now under the ownership of Perifractic, initially seemed to understand exactly what many retro fans wanted. The rerelease of the C64 was a smart move. It tapped into nostalgia while still acknowledging the modern world. Here was a product that reminded people why Commodore mattered: Affordable computers. Creativity. Gaming. Technology that belonged to everyone. For many fans, it felt like Commodore was finally back. But then things took an unexpected turn. The Phone Nobody Expected Instead of looking towards the future of computing, the new Commodore began exploring... mobile phones. Not a new smartphone. Not a portable computer inspired by the Amiga. A flip phone. Now, there is nothing wrong with flip phones. Some people love their simplicity, excellent battery life and freedom from the endless distractions of modern smartphones. There is certainly a market for them. But this is Commodore. The Amiga community is not exactly famous for wanting less technology. These were the people who bought machines with custom chips, expanded memory, added accelerators, installed hard drives and pushed 1980s hardware far beyond what anyone expected. The Amiga philosophy was always: "How far can we push this machine?" So when fans saw Commodore returning with a basic phone, the reaction was understandably mixed. Many were hoping for something that carried the spirit of the Amiga: innovation, creativity and pushing boundaries. And Then Came The Belt Holder... As if the flip phone was not enough to start a discussion, Commodore also introduced a plastic belt holder. Now, perhaps somewhere there is a person who looked at this product and thought: "Yes! This is exactly what Commodore fans have been waiting for." However, many others had a different reaction. It has a certain futuristic style, if your idea of the future comes from the wardrobe department of The Fifth Element. It looks less like something a 2026 Commodore user would wear and more like something Leeloo might have grabbed before jumping out of a spaceship. Retro-futurism is a difficult thing to get right. Sometimes you get a vision of tomorrow. Sometimes you get a plastic accessory that belongs in a sci-fi costume box. The Community Speaks As expected, the announcement created plenty of discussion throughout the Commodore and Amiga communities. Here are some of the reactions heard from fans: > "I waited 30 years for Commodore to return... not to buy a phone my > grandmother had in 2004." > "The C64 rerelease made sense. It reminded people what made Commodore > special. A flip phone feels like Commodore has walked into the future by > going backwards." > "The Amiga community spent decades adding RAM, accelerators and expansions > to machines. We are not exactly the 'keep it simple' crowd!" > "I actually like the idea of a distraction-free phone, but I was hoping > for something with a bit more Commodore DNA. Where is the innovation?" > "The belt holder looks like something from The Fifth Element. I keep > expecting Leeloo to turn up carrying a Commodore 64." Of course, not everyone has been negative. Some fans appreciate that the Commodore name is alive again and believe that any new product is better than seeing the brand disappear forever. Finding The Commodore Spirit The challenge for the new Commodore is that it is not simply selling products. It is selling memories. The people who remember the original company are not only customers; they are the reason the name still has meaning today. That is both a huge advantage and a difficult responsibility. Nobody expects Commodore to recreate 1985 forever. The world has changed, and a company cannot survive by only looking backwards. But perhaps fans are hoping to see a little of that old Commodore attitude: Be different. Be clever. Be ahead of the curve. Because Commodore was never famous because it made ordinary things. It was famous because it made people imagine what was possible. The C64 showed that computers could belong in every home. The Amiga showed that a personal computer could be a creative powerhouse. The next Commodore needs to remember that the name is not special because of the logo printed on a product. The logo is special because of what it represented. We don't want Commodore to simply wear the name. We want it to remember why that name mattered.TopWelcome to the reviews section!
CONTENTS ============================================================================ -= R E V I E W S =---------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -= Hardware Review: External Compact GoTek =- Want to get access to ADFs but don't want to lose your physical drive then check out this review to see if this is just what you need. -= Hardware Review: Alinea Fan Adapters =- Power fans in your Amiga from the internal floppy drive power port. -= Hardware Review: DriveRDY =- Don't want to spend and arm and leg on an authentic Amiga floppy disk then this adapter that allows you to use a standard PC drive in your Amiga might be just what you are looking for. -= Hardware Review: Alinea Computer's 4 Way Clockport Expander =- Expand your Amiga's ability to use one clockport to four, find out if this is next on your shopping list. -= Software Review: LumiPass =- With the internet now a dangerous place, having a different password is essential, and were best to keep them than your Amiga? -= Software Review: LumiWeather =- Want to keep updated on the latest weather news? Then, LumiWeather has you covered. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Reviews - WhatIFF? Issue 5.21 - August 2026#TopHardware review: Mini External Gotek Drive
Reviews ============================================================================= Hardware review: Mini External Gotek Drive - by Martyn Bampton ============================================================================= Product Name Mini External Gotek Drive. Developed By OlegMishin. Available From * retro32.com * bitsretro.com * ami64.com * eBay Price Around 28 UKP as reviewed but prices tend to fluctuate. Hardware Requirements An Amiga with an external floppy drive port. Test Machines * Amiga 500+ * Amiga 1200 Introduction For a while I've been using a Gotek in an external drive enclosure which has been very useful. While browsing around eBay I occasionally see "mini external Gotek drives" listed, little boxes not too dissimilar to the SDBox or Plipbox in size and shape while still having a two line OLED display and rotary selector/encoder button. They would presumably be a bit easier to move between computers as they are more compact, plugging directly into the floppy port without a needing a cable. There's no pass through floppy port for downstream devices though, so this will have to be the only device or last device on your external chain. I found a UK seller and decided to order a unit to try it out, thinking it would arrive faster. However the order was shipped from China and so took about 2 weeks to arrive, which was fine but the listing didn't disclose that so it was an unexpected wait. That said it was well packaged and arrived safely in a padded mailer and antistatic bag with a plastic protector over the rotary button. Front ViewImpressions and Use The unit has a decent 3D printed case which feels solid and is held together with four hex head bolts threaded into the plastic. I noticed something inside seemed to have a loose, springy feel to it so to be sure I opened up the case to see what it could be. Nothing major to report, it's just the OLED display, it's plugged directly into the board header and it has a bit of spring to it. While I had the case off I had a look at the circuit board to check the build quality and see what MPU it's using. For the most part it was decent enough, a small blob of solder on one of the MPU legs but not big enough to cause a short. It's a STM32F105 microprocessor so not the newer AT32F435 but that's fine, still works well enough. The bottom of the board was insulated with tape which was okay if a bit untidy. The LED legs protruding through to the underside of the board were a bit too long so I trimmed them back. Inside View
I put the case back on, plugged in the USB drive from my other Gotek and plugged the mini Gotek into my Amiga. It was running FlashFloppy 3.41 and I could select and mount the ADFs on the USB drive as usual, no issues, just worked as anticipated. Great! I tried booting from the device as well as just accessing it via Workbench, no surprises. The rotary selector was easy to use and had a good feel to it and clicked nicely when pressed. The drive didn't obstruct the adjacent ports and it was really lightweight - the listing says 57g and that's about right. Drive access speeds were in line with other floppy drives at around 20KB/sec and both USB access speeds and ejecting/inserting times were similar to other Goteks with the STM32F105. Display Close Up View
I decided to update the firmware since FlashFloppy 3.44 is the latest stable release available. It's really easy to do: 1) Get the firmware from https://github.com/keirf/flashfloppy/wiki/Downloads 2) Select the correct file. The bootloader on my device was recent enough to use the flashfloppy-*.upd: Universal Update file. 3) Remove any old firmware files and copy the new firmware file to the root of your USB drive. 4) Hold down the rotary selector (press it) and turn the Amiga on. 5) The display should show FF Update Flash, release the rotary selector. 6) That's it! It will automatically programme the device and you can then reboot. Full instructions are here: https://github.com/keirf/flashfloppy/wiki/Firmware-Update Summary An external Gotek is a useful tool to have, a compact cordless Gotek even more so. While the 3D printed case isn't as rugged as a metal external floppy case it's fine given the small physical size and low weight , besides you can always get another 3D printed if needed. I appreciated the ease of which I can attach the drive without having to thread a thick floppy drive cable around my workspace. Updating the firmware was as easy as any other Gotek and while the MPU is older, the recent bootloader was a welcome bonus. The springiness of the display is a small niggle but it could be solved by fixing a small support in place. Once I realised it wasn't anything important I just ignored it. It's a nice drive with a few minor imperfections at a decent enough price, I ordered more... Pros and Cons + Compact and light. + Rotary selector/encoder and 2 line OLED screen. + Doesn?t block any ports. + Came with a recent bootloader. - Mass produced so some minor quality control issues. Other Key Points: * No floppy port pass-through, has to be the last device. * Older MPU. Scores Ease of use: 90% Documentation/Packaging: 70% Value for money: 80% Overall: 80% - WhatIFF Silver Sources and Credits Sold by various eBay sellers: https://ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Mini+External+Gotek Created by OlegMishin: https://github.com/OlegMishin/GotekFlashFloppy Case: https://github.com/OlegMishin/GotekFlashFloppy/tree/main/Cad/external%20case FlashFloppy by Keir Fraser: https://github.com/keirf/flashfloppy
TopHardware review: Fan Power Adapter and Floppy Power Hub
Reviews ============================================================================= Hardware review: Fan Power Adapter and Floppy Power Hub - by Martyn Bampton ============================================================================= Product Name Fan Power Adapter and Floppy Power Hub Developed By RWahler/Alinea Computer Available From * Alinea Computer (amiga-shop.net) Price Currently 7 USD/6 EUR (Fan adapter) and 12 USD/10 EUR (Power Hub) Hardware Requirements * Floppy power cable, 5V or 12V fan. * Other device requiring power via a floppy power connector. Test Machines * Amiga 1200 * Amiga 500 Introduction Given that most Amiga setups are decades old now and too much heat is bad for electronics, a bit of forced air cooling isn't a bad idea.? Even more so if you happen to have a modern accelerator with an overclocked CPU in a cramped case (be aware some slower 030 CPUs are relabelled as 50MHz).? If you have an A500/500/1200 then finding power for case or CPU fans can be a bit fiddly, the most obvious source being the floppy power connector (if your accelerator card doesn't have a fan header).? I've tried making my own adapters or daisy-chaining a string of adapters but it can be a cable management muddle with bundled cables restricting airflow.? Alinea Computer offer a simple floppy power hub and fan power adapter which looked like they may help so I ordered a few sets to try out. Floppy Fan Adapter Image 1Impressions and Use The adapter and the hub both arrived in a small antistatic bag already fitted into their 3D printed case/cover.? The covers fit well and not only provide visual polish but help avoid short circuits too.? All floppy connectors on both adapters are keyed to prevent reversing the plugs.? On the floppy power hub the cables clicked home securely and I had no worries of anything coming lose, everything felt solid. Floppy Fan Adapter Image 2
The Fan Power Adapter has a jumper so you can set 5V or 12V output power which is very handy.? Fitting the fan power cable into the two pin header on the Fan Power Adapter was straightforward, just check and recheck the polarity and voltage - but I think this is probably intended for the 2 pin connectors on small fans.? The larger 3 pin connector found on most case fans is offset to one side and could feel a bit less secure.? In practice isn't really a problem but it would be great to see a 3 pin fan header in addition to the 2 pin in any future revision.? For reference the positive pin on the fan header is marked on the board, it's the pin closest to the centre.? The jumper should be in the left position (closest to the floppy power cable connector) for 5V and in the right position for 12V. Again check and recheck your connections, jumper position and output voltage before connecting your chosen fan. ? ? ? ? +--------------------+ --------| 12V? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? |? ? (-) ========|? ? ?______? ? ? ? ?|==== ========|? ? |______|? ? ? ? |==== ========|? ? ||_|| ||? ? ? + |? ? (+) ========|? ? |? ?| ||? ? ? ? | --------|? ? |_^_| ||? ? ? ? | ? ? ? ? +--------------------+ ? ? ? ? ? ? ?5V? ?12V ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Jumper Another thing to note is adding multiple fans to your system could put more strain on your power supply.? Then again if you need fans because of all your upgrades then you probably already have a good PSU, I didn't have any issues when using a PowerShark or a PSU from? Electroware. Fan With Cable
Summary Using a combination of these adapters and some short cables I was able to clean up my fan cabling quite a bit.? It's quick and easy to plug and unplug things as you add cables and rewire your set up.? A great way to improve your case fan cable management without spending too much money. Pros and Cons + Well designed and simple to use. + Avoids shorts. + 5V/12V selectable fan voltage. + 3D printed cover. + Convenient! - None really, no standard 3-pin case fan header? Other Key Points: * Check your PSU can handle the extra load? Scores Ease of use: 90% Documentation/Packaging: --% Value for money: 80% Overall: 85% - WhatIFF Silver Sources and Credits Sold and built by Alinea Computer: https://www.amiga-shop.net/en/Amiga-Hardware/Amiga-cables-adapters/Fan-power-adapter::1315.html Based on work by rwahler: https://gitlab.com/rwahler1/kicad/Amiga_Floppy_Luefter_Adapter Case by Alinea Computer: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6701517 Sold and built by Alinea Computer: https://www.amiga-shop.net/en/Amiga-Hardware/Amiga-cables-adapters/Power-hub-for-floppy-drive-power-cables::1417.html Based on work by rwahler: https://gitlab.com/rwahler1/kicad/Amiga_Floppy_Power_Hub
TopHardware review: DriveRDY Floppy Drive Adapter
Reviews ============================================================================= Hardware review: DriveRDY Floppy Drive Adapter - by Martyn Bampton ============================================================================= Product Name DriveRDY PC Floppy Adapter. Developed By Boris Krizma/Lotharek Available From * AMIGAstore.eu * amiga-shop.net * retrolemon.co.uk * retroready.one * eBay Price Varies but typical best prices are 26 USD/23 EUR/21 UKP Hardware Requirements An Amiga with a floppy drive header and a compatible PC floppy drive. Test Machines * Amiga 500+ * Amiga 2000 Introduction Floppy drives still hold a lot of value, both sentimental and practical.? The memories of hearing the drive spin, inserting or removing disks or even that relentless click as the drive checks for a floppy (at least for a while before you install a tool to stop it).? On the other hand you may simply want to get a disk imaged before it fails and you'll need a drive to do it.? If your original drive is beyond repair or you don't want to pay for a replacement Amiga drive you can always use a PC floppy drive. They're (comparatively) more readily available and often a lot cheaper too.? The steps required to modify a standard floppy drive for Amiga use aren't overly difficult if you have the time, skills and equipment.? That said it would be nice just to have an adapter you can plug in and get on with enjoying your computer.? That's what the DriveRDY does, a simple device (designed by Boris Krizma, Furia creator) you connect to the back of a standard PC floppy drive to generate the ready signal the Amiga expects. Impressions and Use The adapter is compact and unobtrusive, the components are laid out neatly with the floppy connectors arranged front and back, top and bottom to sit inline and? "pass through" the connection.? It requires no additional power, taking what little it needs from the floppy drive and basically becomes part of the drive, very tidy. Side ViewI added the DriveRDY to the floppy drive, hooked it up to the Amiga and turned the system on.? I inserted a floppy disk and waited.? There were no surprises other than the bright power and activity LEDs on the adapter - the drive span up and simply worked as expected, like any other original Amiga floppy drive.? I did manage to offset the pins at first when fitting the adapter as there's no keying,? just double check everything is where it's supposed to be before powering on to be sure.? I tried every PC floppy drive I had and they all worked fine, Drives from Sony, Panasonic, Epson, Teac, BEC, Samsung and Chinon are listed as being compatible.? The LEDs on the board could look interesting in a transparent case. Rear View
Notes:? Some floppy drives (usually Alps or Mitsumi models) have the power connector above or below the data connector, the DriveRDY can't physically be fitted to these drives.? Also be aware that High Density drives will operate as Double Density (880K) drives. Summary A quick and tidy solution, reusable and removable.? It may not be the cheapest option available but it could save you more in terms of time and potential frustrations compared to manually modifying a PC drive.? It's also very satisfying to just plug and go and/or fit and forget. Pros and Cons + Easy and reversible no-solder option to modify a standard floppy drive for Amiga use. + Compact size, takes up very little room. + Compatible with most PC floppy drives. + Good build quality. - Possible to misalign/offset connector. - Could seem expensive, may cost more than a PC floppy drive. Other Key Points: * May not fit some floppy drives due to the drive's power connector placement. * The PC drive operates as a DD drive (for 880K disks) even if it's a HD drive. Scores Ease of use: 100% Documentation/Packaging: Value for money: 70% Overall: 85% - WhatIFF Silver Sources and Credits Sold by https://www.amiga-shop.net/en/Amiga-Hardware/Amiga-classic-hardware/DriveRDY-adapter::1343.html Created by Boris Krizma/Lotharek: https://lotharek.pl
TopHardware review: Alinea Computer's 4 Way Clock Port Exander
Reviews ============================================================================ Hardware review: Alinea Computer's 4 Way Clockport Exander - by Timo Paul ============================================================================ Product Name Alinea Computer's 4 Way Clockport Exander Developed By Matthias M?nch Available From https://https://www.amiga-shop.net/en/ Price 33.95 EUR Hardware/Software Requirements A1200 Test Machine A1200/OS3.2.3/TF1260/PicoWyfy Main BoardReview The humble clockport on the Amiga has become somewhat of an unsung hero, initially being there just for a battery clock it has become quite the gate to numberous expansions. A314-cp, PicoWyfy and SOLAS LED lights are just a few that come to mind, not to forget RapidRoad or Subway USB cards. It is the port that keeps giving, however just one feels a bit limiting and so we have the clockport expander, for this issue I am looking at the clockport expander from Alinea, which was designed by Matthias M?nch. Who is this expander for? My main intention was originally to try the fast clockport which is on port three of the board. It comes with a Gayle adapter which I found a lot easier to install compared to the Amigakit clockport adapter which uses the kickstart socket. Main Board Installed
Fitting the board is simple enough but quickly I started to run into problems. The first of these was the lack of space if an Indivision is installed as the cable that connects to the VGA/HDMI port is very close to the board itself and if you are using the rear expansion port it will be covering the extra clockport pins. The second issue that cropped up was the spacing of the ports, I had intended to use my PicoWyfy on the fastclock port but due to the placement the picowyfy would extend beyond the back of the case. So, this was a bit of a disappointment. Even with the PicoWyfy on another port, it and the Indivision gave no room for other devices to be plugged in. So, this goes back to my original question, who is this for? If you have an Amiga that does not have many expansions such as an Indivision, or an A314-cp/Picowyfy, then this board might be of use. It makes me think that if you plan to get the Framethrower in the future it also might cause problems with this board. Additional While I had looked forward to having a faster internet speed from my PicoWyfy on port three it turns out that I would not have seen much improvement anyway. Port three is fantastic for high speed USB transfers (like the RapidRoad module), the PicoWyfy runs at pretty much maximum speed on the existing clockport and is more restrained by the CPU you have. Since I have a PiStorm already my download speed is on average 298KB/sec which is not too shabby. Final Thoughts While it would have been nice to try the PicoWyfy and see if there are any gains to be had the current design does not take into consideration the more expanded Amigas. This limits the target user as upgrades are much more common now than ten years ago. If you have a relatively untouched Amiga and wish to have more than one clockport device then this is a good way to go but keep in mind if you want to get an internal scandoubler or Pi based internet gateway the adapter will have to go. Pros and Cons + Good price point + Easy to install + Nice to have the option of a faster clock port - Will not fit depending on what expansions you already have i.e. Indivision Other Key Points: * This is a good card but if is limited by the fact that you cannot use one of the growing clockport wifi cards. Scores Ease of use/Installation: 95% Documentation/Packaging: 75% Value for money: 70% Overall: 80% - WhatIFF Silver
TopSoftware review: LumiPass Password Manager
Reviews ============================================================================ Software review: LumiPass Password Manager - by Timo Paul ============================================================================ Product Name LumiPass Developed By Matthias Muench Available From http://aminet.net/package/util/misc/LumiPass_1.2 Price Free Hardware/Software Requirements OS3.2+, MUI3.8, NList.mcc,BetterString.mcc,TextEditor.mcc Test Machine A1200/OS3.2.3/PiStorm/PicoWyfy Review Keeping your passwords and unique and never repeating is becoming ever more important with the increased chance of your data being hacked. However, it can be hard to handle all of your passwords. For myself I have been using a simple text file to keep all of my passwords in one place and easy to access however with LumiPass I just might be thinking of moving all of my password handling to the Amiga. LumiPass is developed by Matthias Muench, whose LumiFTP we reviewed last issue. So, what makes LumiPass standout as a password manager? Let(s first highlight some of the most important features of LumiPass: * Native .lumi database format (ChaCha20-Poly1305 AEAD, RFC 8439; optional Argon2id key derivation) * Versioned .bak backups before each save (configurable depth, 1-9) * Full CRUD: title, username, password, URL, multi-line notes * Trash for deleted entries: restore or purge permanently, persisted inside the .lumi database * Real-time password strength indicator with a 16,792-word common-password dictionary * Password generator (length, character classes, ambiguous-character exclusion) * Diceware passphrase generator (EFF long word list) * Import: KeePass 1.x (.kdb), KeePass 2.x and 4.0 (.kdbx, with key files), CSV, 2FAS Pass, Bitwarden, 1Password (.1pux) and Proton Pass (all unencrypted exports) * Export: KeePass 1.x (.kdb), KeePass 2.x (.kdbx v3.1), KeePass 4.0 (.kdbx v4), CSV, XML, HTML * Merge two .lumi databases locally (with the import conflict dialog) -- reconcile two machines without cloud sync * Atomic save (.tmp + rename) of the database protects against data loss on power-cut or crash * Full ARexx scripting interface (port LUMIPASS) * Optional online pwned-check (Have I Been Pwned k-anonymity API): only the first 5 hex characters of the SHA-1 leave the Amiga; plain password and full hash stay local * Password audit report: finds reused, weak, old and empty passwords offline, with an optional breach check (+ HIBP) This is not all of the features but the ones the stand out the most. What I found most useful were real-time password strength indicattor, password generator, passphrase generator, import/export funcitons and finally the online pwned-check, which I presume checks if your password has been leaked online in regards to your name. It comes in at a rather hefty 5.9Mb file so you might want to download it on another computer and transfer it via CF. As is usual with Lumi software there is an included installer and readme. Upon loading the software you are shown a very clean and user friendly program. You have two columns, with the left side for Groups and the right side showing your passwords for the selected group. By default there is a group labeled Passwords. Beneath those panels you have buttons for New, Edit, Duplicate and Delete. Clicking on New, will bring up a new window where you can input the title, select the group, user name, url, and password. Below them there is a password strength indicator bar, and an online password checker. However, you need to enable this first in the settings from the main menu. Finally there is a box for adding notes. Overall it is a well laid out program with modern features that you would not expect to find in software mae for classic Amigas. Due to the ease of making passwords and checking them, I find I am using LumiPass for creating and handling my passwords instead of a text file. Having the ability to check online how safe is a real boon as well. Final Thoughts LumiPass is a very well designed and thought out product that puts the Amiga in a great position for handling your passwords. Alongside with the extra security that comes with LumiPass, I also wonder if there is less of a chance of your Amiga being hacked even one that is online. Pros and Cons + Modern features not seen in Amiga programs + Safe and secure way to keep your passwords + INtuitive and easy interface - needs internet access for some features Other Key Points: * None Scores Ease of use: 93% Documentation/Packaging: 90% Worth your time: 100% Overall: 94% - WhatIFF GoldTopSoftware Review: LumiWeather
Reviews ============================================================================ Software Review: LumiWeather - by Timo Paul ============================================================================ Product Name LumiWeather Developed By Matthias Muench Available From http://aminet.net/package/util/misc/LumiWeather_1.1 Price Free Hardware/Software Requirements AmigaOS, Active TCP/IP Stack (bsdsocket.library) Test Machine A1200/OS3.2.3/PiStorm/PicoWyfy Review Having active internet connectivity on a classic Amiga setup continues to be one of the most satisfying achievements in modern retro computing. Beyond IRC, FTP, and browsing, utility programs that pull live online data straight to Workbench bring real daily utility to our desktop setups. LumiWeather v1.1 by Tomasz "Lumi" Wiszkowski aims to do just that by delivering clean, localized weather forecasts directly to your Amiga. SETUP & FEATURES Installation & Configuration: Installation and initial setup are remarkably simple. Once unpacked, getting your local forecast running requires almost no effort, simply type in your town or city name, and the application quickly resolves your location online. Comprehensive Weather Data: For a lightweight utility, LumiWeather packs an impressive amount of detailed information into its interface: * Current Conditions: Live temperature, humidity levels, and exact chance of precipitation. * Extended Forecast: A secondary tab provides a clear, multi-day weekly prediction to help you plan ahead. Having a live, accurate weather report sitting on an internet-connected Amiga is a fantastic touch that makes your Workbench feel modern and genuinely connected. MULTIPLE LOCATIONS & DAILY USE One of LumiWeather's standout features is its ability to store and save multiple preset locations. Practical Applications: * Family & Friends Abroad: Easily flip between preset entries to check real-time conditions for family living overseas. * Travel Planning: Check destination weather before setting out on a trip. The quick-switching functionality makes it more than just a single-city desk accessory; it's a handy hub for keeping tabs on international conditions. INTERFACE & SCREEN REAL ESTATE While the feature set is solid, LumiWeather hits a notable drawback when it comes to GUI dimensions and Workbench footprint. Window Size Issues: The primary window itself is quite large. On standard PAL HiRes Interlaced screenmodes (such as 640x512 on stock AGA setups), the window consumes a huge portion of the desktop real estate. Missing Options: Currently, there is no built-in toggle or compact mode to scale down or minimize the interface layout. For users who like to keep utility windows open alongside other Workbench tasks, this large footprint makes it far less likely to remain running in the background as a permanent desktop fixture. FINAL VERDICT LumiWeather v1.1 is a well-designed, functional, and genuinely useful internet tool for the modern Amiga setup. Its effortless search setup, detailed atmospheric data, and multi-location presets make it a pleasure to use when checking forecasts. However, its bulky window layout holds it back from perfection on classic PAL screenmodes. If future updates introduce a mini-mode or scalable GUI options, this could easily become a mandatory addition to every connected Amiga's Startup-Sequence. Pros and Cons + Easy to find your location. + Fast to set up. + Lots of detail. - Window is too big, takes up too much desktop space. Other Key Points: * The ability to store multiple locations is a nice bonus. Scores Ease of use: 75% Documentation/Packaging: 85% Worth your time: 80% Overall: 80% - WhatIFF SilverTopGame Reviews
CONTENTS ============================================================================ -= G A M E R E V I E W S =------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -= Game Review: Orbital Mission =- As part of the COMMODORE civilisation it is your duty to fly into space and wipeout the forces of the ATARI in your humble A500 space ship. -= Game Review: Dunjons =- If you are a fan of rogue like games such as Roguecraft then this little game from Zooperdan might be just up your alley. -= Game Review: RogueCraft DX =- RogueCraft is back in DX form, find out inside if it is worth your investing in the latest update to the smash hit of 2024. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------TopOrbital Mission Review
Gamereviews ============================================================================ Game Review: Orbital Mission - by Timo Paul ============================================================================ Product Name Orbital Mission Developed By Pawel Tukatsch Available From https://tukinem.itch.io/orbital-mission-demo Price 18.35 USD Hardware/Software Requirements Amiga 500 Test Machine Amiga 1200/PiStorm/PicoWyfy/OS3.2.3 Review When a new title drops for the Amiga, there's always a rush of excitement to see how modern developers push our classic hardware. Orbital Mission delivers a slick, challenge-heavy space shooter that wears its demoscene roots proudly on its sleeve--even if getting it running on original iron comes with a few caveats. STORY & PREMISE An interesting detail about Orbital Mission is how its narrative evolved during development: Early Development Premise: Back when we interviewed the developer, the game featured a lighthearted, whimsical storyline centering on the ultimate 16-bit rivalry: Commodore versus Atari! You were tasked with piloting a ship fittingly named the A500 to defeat the evil Atari civilization. The Official Setting (Year 2203): The final release shifts to a far more serious sci-fi backdrop (notably inspired by H. Joachim Deeg and Helmut Kohlen's 1987 title Emetic Skimmer). By 2203, an AI-driven satellite network spanning Earth and space has taken silent, absolute control of global communications and navigation systems. After scientists uncover the core AI deep in the Sahara Desert, a desperate counter-strike is launched. Because modern systems are completely compromised, humanity's last hope is to deploy an old, non-AI-controlled craft capable of slipping past detection to sever the orbital network. GAMEPLAY & MECHANICS At its core, Orbital Mission offers tight, responsive gameplay, though it expects you to earn your wings. The ship's flight mechanics instantly bring classic Asteroids to mind--you'll need to master momentum, drift, and thruster management before you feel fully in control. The combat mechanics take a deliberate, tactical approach. Rather than letting you hold down fire to flood the screen with plasma, shooting requires strict discipline: * Rate of Fire: Limited projectile count. * Cooldown Rules: Once you fire a volley, you cannot launch another until the initial shot hits a target or travels a set distance. This simple restriction completely changes how you approach dogfights, forcing you to make every shot count rather than blindly spamming the trigger. Instruction Integration: One neat design touch that immediately stands out is the instruction text embedded directly into the background art. It's an atmospheric, unobtrusive way to teach you the ropes while giving the game a distinct personality. VISUALS & AUDIO: DEMOSCENE PEDIGREE Visually, the game opts for functional, clean sprites and layouts during general play to keep action readable. Where it truly shines, however, is in its special effects. Graphical Highlights: You can feel the developer's demoscene background bleeding into the code--the bomb effect in particular impresses with a full-screen display that wouldn't look out of place in a top-tier demo competition. Audio Design: That demoscene heritage carries over into the soundtrack as well. The music is exceptional, perfectly matching the tension on screen with rich, atmospheric Tracker tunes that keep the energy high throughout your run. HARDWARE & COMPATIBILITY NOTES Unfortunately, hardware compatibility is currently a sticking point for this release. Real Hardware Tests (A1200): During testing, the game refused to render on real Amiga 1200 hardware: * Tested Accelerators: TF1260, PiStorm. * Workarounds Attempted: Soft-kicks, downgrading configs, and launching directly from the Shell. * Result: The game consistently loads and plays its background music, but outputs a completely black screen. Emulation Notes: At present, the title seems to run reliably only under emulation via FS-UAE. FINAL VERDICT Orbital Mission hits that sweet, addictive loop of being deeply frustrating yet compelling enough to keep you hitting "retry." The difficulty curve is tuned just right--brutal when you make a mistake, but fair enough that you always know how to improve on the next run. Plus, the extra content packed onto the second disk gives it plenty of replay value. Summary: A well-crafted, beautifully balanced shooter with great presentation and fantastic audio. It's a bit of a heartbreak for those of us who prefer playing on authentic A1200 hardware, but if you're happy to load it up in FS-UAE, it's an absolute blast and well worth a spot on your virtual floppy shelf. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- OVERALL RATING: 8 / 10 (Deducted slightly for real-hardware compatibility issues) ----------------------------------------------------------------------TopDunjons Review
Gamereviews ============================================================================ Game Review: Dunjons - by Timo Paul ============================================================================ Product Name Dunjons Developed By Zooperdan Available From https://zooperdan.itch.io/dunjons Price Free/Name Your Price Hardware/Software Requirements Amiga 1200 or better Test Machine Amiga 1200/PiStorm/PicoWyfy/OS3.2.3 Review Created for a maze-themed game jam, Dunjons is a charming turn-based dungeon crawler that packs a surprising amount of polish into a compact package. While intentionally designed as a short prototype, it has captured the attention of the retro scene with its accessible hack-and-slash loop and open-source foundation. PREMISE & GAMEPLAY The Quest: A priceless relic has been stolen from the local monastery. As the brave adventurer, you must navigate through four dangerous dungeon floors filled with monsters, chests, and traps to recover the stolen artifact. Mechanics & Features: * Turn-Based Exploration: Moves smoothly step-by-step, allowing tactical planning without overwhelming the player. * Fog of War & Automapper: A crisp line-of-sight visual system gradually reveals the dungeon layout as you explore. * RPG Elements: Features stat upgrades, inventory management with usable items, and experience points gained from combat. Accessibility: Unlike many notoriously brutal roguelikes, community feedback highlights Dunjons as one of the least unfair games in the genre. It serves as an excellent entry-level crawler, approachable enough for beginners who don't typically play heavy RPGs, yet rewarding enough to offer a satisfying challenge. TECHNICAL UNDERPINNINGS AmiBlitz3 & Open Source: One of the most impressive aspects of Dunjons is that author zooperdan included the complete AmiBlitz3 source code. It stands as a fantastic educational resource for developers looking to study 2D tile-map rendering and logic in Blitz Basic. AI Pathfinding & Line-of-Sight: Enemies track the player using an integrated A* pathfinding algorithm, paired with a custom Bresenham line-of-sight system. Because these algorithms require substantial calculations per step, the game specifically targets the AGA chipset and 68020 CPUs (A1200) or higher. The developer notes that unoptimized pathfinding math currently prevents smooth performance on stock 68000 machines. COMMUNITY RECEPTION & HARDWARE NOTES What Players Are Saying: The scene reception across retro news outlets and YouTube channels has been overwhelmingly positive. Critics and players alike praise its satisfying core loop, with many drawing comparisons to early builds of RogueCraft and eagerly calling for zooperdan to expand it into a commercial full-length procedural roguelike. Speed & Hardware Quirks: * Stock A1200: Runs at the exact intended speed. * Accelerated Setups / Emulation: Players on heavy accelerators, MiSTer, or emulators report that player and enemy movement cycles can run a bit too fast, though it remains completely playable. FINAL VERDICT Dunjons is a gem of a homebrew project. It delivers clean visuals, clever pathfinding mechanics, and an inviting difficulty curve that keeps you playing until the relic is recovered. While it leaves you wanting more levels, expanded equipment, and NPC interactions, that brevity is simply a testament to how good the core foundation feels. Combined with the open-source release for AmiBlitz3 learners, it's a must-download ADF/LHA for any AGA Amiga user. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- OVERALL RATING: 8.5 / 10 (A fantastic jam entry; ripe for expansion into a full commercial release) ----------------------------------------------------------------------TopRoguecraft DX Review
Gamereviews ============================================================================ Game Review: RogueCraft DX - by Bytebandit ============================================================================ Product Name RogueCraft DX Developed By Badger Punch Games Available From https://thalamusdigital.itch.io/roguecraft-dx-amiga Price 9.99 USD Hardware/Software Requirements 2MB Chip RAM + 2MB Other RAM (PAL) Test Machine Amiga 1200/PiStorm/PicoWyfy/OS3.2.3 Review When RogueCraft hit the Amiga scene in 2024, it instantly set a gold standard for isometric dungeon crawlers on classic hardware. Now, Thalamus Digital and Badger Punch Games have delivered RogueCraft DXa massive overhaul that transforms an already stellar title into a deep, content-packed roguelike masterpiece. WHAT'S NEW IN THE DX EDITION The "DX" moniker isn't just a minor patch; it's a huge content expansion and rebalancing effort that touches almost every aspect of the game: Expanded World & Content: * The Wilderness Area: Your journey now begins outside the dungeon in a brand-new overworld zone before descending into the depths. * 80+ New Room Variations: Significantly increases floor variety with enhanced background tiles and clearer visual cues for secret rooms. * New Bestiary: Face off against new nightmare entities like Old Thang, Oogles, and Bluethulhu. Monsters like Snark and Skorpeeo can now poison you! * Expanded Arsenal & Potions: Introduces Invisibility, Regeneration, and Confuse Potions, plus rare Divine Intervention chests that can revive you from death. Meta-Progression & QoL: * High Score Table & Achievements: Tracks your top five runs (including class and potions used) alongside optional cross-run achievements. * Rogue Class Rework: Teleportation no longer consumes a turn and triggers a devastating Backstab buff granting max damage for 4 turns. GAMEPLAY & CLASS MECHANICS At its core, RogueCraft DX maintains the crisp, turn-based isometric gameplay inspired by classic Lovecraftian horror and table-top crawlers like HeroQuest. Choose Your Hero: Difficulty is intrinsically tied to your choice of hero: * Warrior: High health and crushing melee power; ideal for beginners learning enemy movement patterns. * Mage: Relies on ranged spells and resource management. * Rogue: Heavily buffed in DX with free teleportation and lethal crit setups, catering to advanced tactical players. Tactical Depth: Movement and attacks are handled with single-button or joystick simplicity, making runs fast (typically 30-40 minutes). However, survival requires careful potion conservation, pathing choices, and knowing when to hunt for glowing upgrade gems versus heading straight for the floor exit. VISUALS & AUDIO: A BENCHMARK FOR AMIGA Isometric Pixel Art: The graphical upgrade in DX is striking. From the newly rendered title screen animations to the refined torchlight floor tiles and fluid character sprites, it oozes atmospheric Lovecraftian charm. Legendary Soundtrack: The audio presentation remains top-tier for the platform: * Music: New atmospheric tracker compositions by legendary Amiga musician Jogeir Liljedahl (Photon) that dynamically change as you descend deeper into the dungeon. * Sound Effects: Punchy, visceral SFX crafted by scene veteran h0ffman. COMMUNITY RECEPTION & HARDWARE NOTES Public & Press Acclaim: The community response to the DX release has been universally positive. Retro press outlets praised the original (with Zzap! Amiga awarding 91% and Amiga Addict 96%), and fans on itch.io and Reddit consider DX the definitive way to play. The additions of the Rogue's Backstab ability and the Wilderness starting area are widely cited as major gameplay highlights. Hardware & WHDLoad Requirements: Unlike the original ADF-focused release, RogueCraft DX is distributed primarily as a WHDLoad package due to its size and expanded assets: * Memory Requirements: Requires 2MB Chip RAM + 2MB Fast RAM. * Setup Tip: Real hardware and FPGA users (MiSTer / A500 Mini) report flawless execution via WHDLoad. * Emulator Users: Ensure your WinUAE or FS-UAE configuration allocates sufficient Fast RAM; standard stock 1MB Chip configurations will throw memory errors when unpacking the DX WHDLoad payload. FINAL VERDICT RogueCraft DX takes what was already one of the finest modern commercial releases on the Amiga and polishes it to a brilliant sheen. The addition of achievements, overworld wilderness, expanded enemy mechanics, and Jogeir Liljedahl's incredible soundtrack make this an essential addition to any Amiga gamer's WHDLoad setup. If you loved the original release, the DX update turns a great weekend crawler into an endlessly replayable retro masterpiece. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- OVERALL RATING: 9.5 / 10 (Must-Have / Essential Amiga WHDLoad Release) ----------------------------------------------------------------------TopWelcome to the guides section!
CONTENTS ============================================================================ -= T U T O R I A L S / G U I D E S =---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -= Raspberry Pi Hotspot for Amiga =- Kristian helps you setup a RaspberryPi based hotspot for when your Amiga's WIFI card only supports older WPA standards. -= Amiga 101: Turning off and on Roadshow Script =- Do you wish you could turn off internet accesss when using Roadshow? Here is a short tutorial on creating an easy way to do this. -= Amiga Compatible Email Account Setup =- Finding an email account that you can still use with your Amiga is getting harder each year, we look at an alternative and how to setup. -= Amiga 101: Easy Custom 3D Text in LightWave =- Using the built in fonts that come with LightWave are a great way to get into 3D rendering, but what if you want a more custom/organic font? -= Amiga 101: MMULib and Amiga OS3.2 =- MMULibs, Mu Libraries & AmigaOS 3.2: Which accelerators actually need them? -= Amiga 101: Amiga Wi-Fi MAC Address Finder Guide =- With network security increasingly becoming essential instead of optional we look at how to make a more secure connection with your Amiga. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Tutorials/Guides - WhatIFF? Issue 5.21 - August 2026#TopRaspberry Pi Hotspot for Amiga
Guides ============================================================================ Raspberry Pi Hotspot for Amiga - by: Kristian GK ============================================================================ When I was looking to get my A1200 online the obvious route appeared to be using a PCMCIA network card. I wanted the luxury of a wireless connection, and I had seen these on Ebay with detailed summaries listing the various use cases for an online Amiga in the 2020s. What was not immediately clear to me however was that some of the Amiga compatible PCMCIA wireless network cards which are on the market do not support WPA2 encryption and only work with the older WPA standard. At the time, I attempted to get the WPA card I had ordered to talk to my home wireless network and had no joy. I considered giving up and buying a new card, but another idea occurred to me - I wondered if I could get an old Raspberry Pi to create a compatible hotspot for my Amiga. Reader, I did manage it, and I was very pleased with the result. However, I achieved this using an older version of Raspberry Pi OS based on debian Bullseye and this OS is now reaching end of life for security updates. In researching this article I realised that this earlier approach would no longer work with the more modern versions of Raspberry Pi OS and so I needed to find a new way. Fortunately, the new Network Manager built into Bookworm and Trixie based Pi OS means the process is now far easier, and more straightforward than ever. The earlier method involved updating text config files for dnsmasq and hostapd programs, but we can do this now simply using the GUI and a basic Raspberry Pi OS install. For this guide I am using a Raspberry Pi 3b+, but I am sure it would work with other raspberry pi models with an ethernet port and wireless chip. ** Please be aware this guide creates an open wifi hotspot from the Pi which anyone can connect to without any password or encryption if they are in range. Use with caution! ** Step by Step Guide Start with a fresh Raspberry Pi OS install (Trixie 2026-06-18). Ensure the device is connected to the internet via Ethernet port. Give it the latest updates. sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade 1. Configure the wireless country in settings to enable the WiFi sudo raspi-config Navigate to 5 Localisation Options Navigate to L4 WLAN Country Select your country Finish 2. Create a hotspot with no security Find the network menu (top right) and click Navigate to Advanced Options submenu Select Create Wireless Hotspot... Give the Hotspot a name Select Wi-Fi security - None You should be able to see the WiFi hotspot on your phone or other device and test it is working. 3. Make the hotspot connect automatically on boot Find the network menu (top right) and click Navigate to Advanced Options submenu Select Edit Connections... Select the hotspot and click on settings icon at the bottom of window Navigate to General tab Check the box marked Connect automatically with priority Click Save Now reboot and see if the connection is persistent. 4. Next we will need to make some adjustments so that the hotspot is suitable for the Amiga to connect. I am using Roadshow and a PCMCIA wireless card which is compatibile with prism2.device. Find the network menu (top right) and click Navigate to Advanced Options submenu Select Edit Connections... Select the hotspot and navigate to settings icon at the bottom of window Navigate to Wireless tab Set Cloned MAC address as 'Permanent' Set MTU as 576 bytes Navigate to IPv4 settings tab Check Method is 'Shared to other computers' 5. Finally we might need to tweak our Amiga config. This step will depend on which TCP/IP stack you are using. I needed to change my roadshow config away from the static ip address and netmask I was using successfully with my previous hospot (using Bullseye based Raspberry Pi OS) and instead rely on roadshow's automatic DHCP handling. The good news is that using this method I am now getting a wireless transfer speed of 340KB/s instead of the 250 KB/s max I was getting previously. Notes * This is a workaround - ideally I would not have a unsecured network, but it can be useful (e.g. Nintendo DS needs an unsecure network to connect). Please remember to disable the wifi when you are not using it. * You can also use this guide to create a secure hotspot by changing some of the parameters in Network Manager in Pi OS. Good luck! * You can use Raspberry Pi Connect to log into your device and perform software updates remotely and even enable and disable the hotspot. Very useful! sudo nmcli connection up [SSID] - turn hotspot on sudo nmcli connection down [SSID] - turn hotspot offTopAmiga 101: Turning off and on Roadshow via a script
Guides ============================================================================= Amiga 101: Turning off and on Roadshow via a script - by: Timo Paul ============================================================================= Having our Amigas connected 24/7 has been a reality in part thanks to Roadshow, the TCP/IP client that runs silently in the background on your Amiga. While, there are many benefits to this, certain issues can crop up due to Roadshow running. I found this a number of times after I started using an A314-cp and PicoWyfy. Namely, the issues cropped up when running games from Workbench, even modern games such as Roguecraft would freeze at random times. I tracked this down to Roadshow and PicoWyfy running in the background thanks to the help from the A314 Discord channel. Roadshow and the PicoWyfy can disabled from the Shell using the command: ConfigureNetInterface InternetDevice offline In my case, since my netinterface is the PicoWyfy, I would replace the text InternetDevice with PicoWyfy. To get my Amiga connected again, simply typing in the same command but replacing offline with online will do the trick. However, being the lazy sod that I am, I wanted to find a faster/easier solution. And the answer came from my last article about setting the time. So, to begin with we need to create a script using your favourite text editor. I find Redit works well. Step 1 - Script Once in the the text editor and we have a new file, type in the following: ConfigureNetInterface InternetDevice offline Save the file with the name, InternetOffline, then we need to make the file executable, open a new Shell, get to the location of the file and then type the following: Protect InternetOffline +s Repeat this process again, creating a new text file, and replace the last word offline with online. Save the text file as InternetOnline. Open the Shell again going to the location of the file and type in the same: Protect InternetOnline +s Step 2 - Icon Now, we need an icon to associate with the script and launch it, find any icon of your choice and copy it to the location of your script and then rename it to the same name as your script. My scripts are called InternetOffline and InternetOnline so I renamed the icons to those names. As it stands the icon will not do anything, we need to some more things first. Select the icon and then press Left A + I, or select Icon Info from the menu bar. From the menu bar find 'Type' and select 'Project'. After that click on 'Icon' tab and where it says 'Default tool' enter 'C:IconX'. Finally, go back to the 'File' tab and look at the boxes that have ticks in them, make sure the following are ticked: * Read * Write * Delete * Execute * Script In most cases it will be the 'Script' that will not be ticked. Now click on Save and your icon will be ready to start the command to stop internet and restart it without resorting to the Shell. If you are running ToolsMenu then you can drag and drop the icon for easy access from the menu bar to provide easy access for turning off and on internet. This process will fix many of the strange freezes that you may encounter when loading games from Workbench and have Roadshow running.TopAmiga Compatible Email Account Setup
Guides ============================================================================= Amiga Compatible Email Account Setup - by: Timo Paul ============================================================================= Keeping email access going on our classic Amigas has been an uphill struggle with each passing year. New security protocols and two time authentications, has made it difficult to use an email account. However, there are a few options, and when I say few, I mean there are really only two options for accessing email on your Amiga. There is a third option but that would be in another article, as it would involve creating your own email server and for many this would not be something they want to do. Instead, you need to search for email hosting companies that offer email services targeted at older computer users such as Windows XP, Mac OS X, etc. During my investigation for this article I came across several potential candidates but the majority were no longer functioning or accepting new users. Out this came two main contenders: www.eno.one and www.tty.sdf.org, of them the former is the option that is most ideal. You will get an email address with www.tty.sdf.org, however there is a five minute limit, so you can only access the server every six minutes. This is not an issue with www.eno.one. Eno.one provides encryption free email access using their own cusomter mail server. Once you have signed up and created an account you can go right away to your favourite email client on the amiga and use the following details: Username: your email address Password: your account password that you use to login to the website Server: mail.eno.one IMAP Port: 143 POP Port: 110 SMTP Port: 587 Encryption (Optional): TLS (STARTTLS) That is all the information you need, I have been using eno.one as my main email address on my Amiga for a while and it works perfectly. They have been around for a while and seem ready to keep supporting older systems so this is a good alternative.TopAmiga 101: Easy Custom 3D Text in LightWave
Guides ============================================================================= Amiga 101: Easy Custom 3D Text in LightWave - by: Timo Paul ============================================================================= If you are new to 3D rendering, creating 3D textm with the built in fonts that come with LightWave is a great way to start. However, they can be a bit staid and if you want something with a bit more personality or organic look then you need to either go to the Modeler and create your own font/text. However, there is an easier way that also gives you better results in many ways. In previous issues we have looked at using FinalWriter and PixelPro to make 3D objects. This time around we are going to use Brilliance and the newer version of Pixel Professional, PixelPro 2. In this tutorial we will show you how to create an organic and funky looking text with using only the minimum of steps. Step 1: Load up Brilliance and reduce the colour depth to two, we just want black and white. Make sure you are in PAL HiRes Laced for the best working environment. What we are going to do, is not create a new font set but a text as an object. The thing to remember here is that the background should black and the text/object white. Draw out your text, making sure it is thick since we want to be able to really pop out when you bring it into PixelPro2. I should also note that you want to make sure everything has a clean edge, do not have any stray pixels as this will cause you headaches in the future. Be creative, drawing as if you were back in school doodling on your notebook or using a thick brush try some cursive text. Once you are done, save the image and make sure it is still in two colours. Step 2: If you do not have PixelPro2 already, then please install the copy that is included with this issue. Load up PixelPro, click on 'Load', find your image of the text. A requestor will pop up asking if you want to smooth the object. This depends on how well you have drawn your text, in my case the text is thick and without any fraying edges so I clicked on 'Cancel'. If you have a slower machine such as an 030 it might take a while to load up the image and convert it to an object. At the moment should see a flat wireframe of your image, what we need to do next is extrude it, and this is done funnily enough by the 'Extrude' button on the left side. When you do this a new requestor will pop up, in the box labeled 'Extrude Value' input a value between 30-40, I find this works best for text. Depending on the speed of your machine you should shortly have a 3D object of your image. You can now move it around in 3D space using the left and right mouse buttons and moving your mouse. Once you have had fun rotating it you will need to save it. And this is done funnily enough by the 'Save' button at the top. By default it will save as a LightWave object, however if you want to save it as a different object then click on button next to 'Save Format' and a drop down menu will appear with various 3D sofware options. For this tutorial we are going to use LightWave. Step 3: Now all you need to do is load up LightWave or your favourite 3D software and load the object that you saved from PixelPro 2. When it has loaded you can apply textures or colour via the 'Surfaces' panel. From here you can play around with the orientation and texture mapping or colouring you want to apply. This is a great way to have a nice logo for your game made in 3D without resorting to the standard built in fonts. Have fun and good luck with your Amiga art excursions, until next time!TopMMULib and Amiga OS3.2
Guides ============================================================================ MMULibs, Mu Libraries & AmigaOS 3.2: Which Accelerators Actually Need Them? ============================================================================ Modern Amiga accelerators have given classic machines a serious second life. Whether you are running a Motorola 68060, a CPLD-assisted accelerator, or an ARM-based emulation layer, your CPU environment may look very different from what Workbench originally expected in the early 1990s. With AmigaOS 3.2, Hyperion bundled Thomas Richter?s MMULib software on the installation media. That has naturally led to some confusion. Does every accelerated Amiga now need MMULibs? Is it only for developers and debugging tools? Is it essential for WHDLoad? The short answer is: @{B}it depends on your CPU, your accelerator, and which processor libraries you are using.@{UB} Some accelerated systems, particularly 68040 and 68060 setups using Thomas Richter's Mu CPU libraries benefit greatly from MMULib components such as @{B}mmu.library@{UB} and the accompanying @{B}680x0 libraries@{UB}. Other systems either do not need them at all, or only benefit from a small subset of the package. And some platforms, such as FPGA- or ARM-based 68k environments, should not be treated like a traditional Motorola MMU system in the first place. This article breaks down what MMULibs actually does under AmigaOS 3.2, and which accelerator families genuinely benefit from it. @{B}MMULib, Mu Libraries, and MuTools: What's the Difference?@{UB} One reason this topic gets confusing is thatMMULibs is often used as shorthand for several related, but distinct pieces of software. Thomas Richter's MMULib ecosystem includes: * @{B}mmu.library@{UB} a shared library providing MMU-related support functions for processors that actually have an MMU. * @{B}Mu CPU libraries@{UB} replacement or updated @{B}68030.library@{UB}, @{B}68040.library@{UB}, and @{B}68060.library@{UB} files used by the OS to initialize and support those CPUs. * @{B}MuTools@{UB} optional utilities such as @{B}MuFastROM@{UB}, @{B}MuMove4K@{UB} @{B}MuRedox@{UB}, and various debugging or cache-management tools. That distinction matters. In many cases, what a machine actually needs is not "the whole MMULibs package", but the @{B}correct Mu CPU library@{UB}, and in some cases @{B}mmu.library@{UB} as well. The extra tools are optional and depend on the machine, CPU, and what you are trying to achieve. @{B}What Does MMULib Actually Do on AmigaOS 3.2?@{UB} AmigaOS 3.2 is more MMU-aware than older AmigaOS releases, but it is important not to overstate what that means. The operating system itself does @{B}not@{UB} suddenly turn MMULib into a universal runtime requirement for every accelerated Amiga. What AmigaOS 3.2 does do is handle CPU library loading more cleanly than older systems, and in some setups SetPatch will build MMU tables as part of processor initialization. That makes it easier to use modern Mu CPU libraries on 68040 and 68060 systems. In practice, MMULib-related software is most relevant to AmigaOS 3.2 in the following areas: @{B}1. CPU support libraries for 68040 and 68060 systems@{UB} For many 68040 and 68060 accelerators, the most important MMULib-related components are the @{B}Mu CPU libraries@{UB} particularly @{B}68060.library@{UB}. These provide the operating system with the code needed to correctly identify, initialize, and work with the processor. On AmigaOS 3.2, the right CPU library can often be installed more cleanly than on older systems because SetPatch is better at loading the appropriate library without some of the older dummy-library tricks used on Workbench 3.1 -era systems. @{B}2. MMU-assisted ROM remapping and memory control@{UB} If your processor includes a real MMU, tools such as @{B}MuFastROM@{UB} can copy Kickstart ROM into fast RAM and remap it there. This can provide a noticeable speed improvement on some classic accelerators, especially where the board does not already offer a preferred hardware MapROM mechanism. MMU configuration can also be used to define cache behaviour and memory attributes for particular address ranges. This is especially relevant on some 68040 and 68060 systems where the board, memory map, and processor library expect a valid MMU setup. @{B}3. Compatibility and specialist tools@{UB} Some MMULib tools are aimed more at power users than everyday users. This includes debugging, cache tuning, or workarounds for specific edge cases. Some WHDLoad setups and certain software configurations may also benefit from MMU-assisted features, but that does @{B}not@{UB} mean MMULib is a universal WHDLoad requirement on every accelerated Amiga. @{B}The Accelerator Breakdown: Who Actually Needs It?@{UB} Because modern expansion boards approach CPU design in very different ways, the answer changes dramatically depending on the card and the processor it uses. @{B}Blizzard Classic Cards (e.g. Blizzard 1230 IV, Blizzard 1260)@{UB} * @{B}Verdict:@{UB} Often optional on 68030; commonly recommended on 68060 * @{B}Why:@{UB} Phase 5's Blizzard 1230 IV uses a real 68030 with an MMU and also has its own well-established hardware MapROM ecosystem. On a Blizzard 030, you do not necessarily need MMULib for ordinary operation if the system is already stable and configured the traditional way. However, MMULib tools such as @{B}MuFastROM@{UB} can still be useful if you want MMU-based ROM remapping without relying on older board-specific boot methods. * On a @{B}Blizzard 1260@{UB}, using the correct @{B}68060.library@{UB} is essential, and many users choose Thomas Richter's Mu 68060 library for that purpose. Depending on the configuration, @{B}mmu.library@{UB} may also be required when using the Mu library stack. If you are running a Blizzard 1260 under AmigaOS 3.2, the practical advice is simple: use a known-good 68060 software setup rather than mixing libraries from unrelated boards. @{B}Tsunami 1230@{UB} * @{B}Verdict:@{UB} MMU features generally not applicable * @{B}Why:@{UB} Arananet's Tsunami 1230 is typically built around a @{B}68EC030@{UB}. The EC030 lacks a real MMU, so MMU-dependent tools such as @{B}MuFastROM@{UB} will not function in the normal way. * That does @{B}not@{UB} necessarily mean every file from the MMULib ecosystem is forbidden or harmful; it simply means you should not expect MMU-based features to work on an EC030 system. In practice, a Tsunami should be treated as a fast, MMU-less 68030 accelerator rather than a candidate for MMU-based tuning. @{B}Apollo Computer / Vampire Series (V2, V4, Firebird)@{UB} * @{B}Verdict:@{UB} Generally not a normal MMULib target * @{B}Why:@{UB} Vampire systems use the Apollo core rather than a physical Motorola 68030, 68040, or 68060. The Apollo 68080 environment does not behave like a traditional Motorola MMU-equipped CPU board, and the platform has its own firmware, memory handling, and software expectations. * As a result, MMULib should @{B}not@{UB} be approached on a Vampire as if it were a conventional 68030/040/060 accelerator. In practice, Vampire users are usually better served by following Apollo-specific documentation and software guidance rather than trying to force a classic MMULib setup onto the machine. @{B}TerribleFire (e.g. TF1230, TF1260, TF536, TF4060)@{UB} * @{B}Verdict:@{UB} Depends strongly on the CPU model and the software stack in use * @{B}Why:@{UB} TerribleFire boards span several different CPU classes, so there is no single one-line rule that fits them all. * A @{B}TF1230@{UB} built around a real @{B}68030@{UB} with MMU can make use of MMULib features in much the same way as other 68030 accelerators. A TF1230 built around an @{B}EC030@{UB}, by contrast, cannot use MMU-only features because the processor lacks an MMU. * A @{B}TF1260@{UB} or @{B}TF4060@{UB} using a 68060 generally needs a proper 68060 software setup. In current AmigaOS 3.2 practice, that often means using the Mu @{B}68060.library@{UB}, and in some configurations @{B}mmu.library@{UB} as well. Many users simply install MMULib or the Mu 680x0 library set and let the system use those components. * What should be avoided is assuming that every TF board behaves identically, or that every 68060 system will fail in the exact same way without a full MMULib installation. The real rule is simpler: @{B}use the correct 68060 software for the specific board and CPU you actually have.@{UB} * @{B}Note:@{UB} An @{B}68LC060@{UB} still lacks an FPU, and an @{B}EC030@{UB} lacks an MMU. Those missing features matter when choosing libraries and utilities. @{B}Individual Computers ACA (e.g. ACA1234)@{UB} * @{B}Verdict:@{UB} Usually optional rather than essential * @{B}Why:@{UB} Jens Schenfeld's ACA accelerators have their own mature firmware and utility ecosystem. Features such as MapROM and board configuration are often handled by ACA-specific tools rather than by MMULib. * That does not mean MMULib is useless on ACA hardware, some users may still choose to use Mu CPU libraries or selected tools, but ACA cards are not typically the first example of a machine that @{B}requires@{UB} MMULib just to be stable. @{B}PiStorm (Emu68)@{UB} * @{B}Verdict:@{UB} Generally not a normal MMULib or hard-drive CPU-library target. * @{B}Why:@{UB} PiStorm systems running Emu68 do not present a normal physical Motorola CPU/MMU environment. Emu68 is an ARM-based 68k execution environment with its own handling for CPU setup, memory, and system integration. * For that reason, MMULib should not be assumed to behave the same way on Emu68 as it would on a real 68030/040/060 board. In many cases it is redundant, and in some cases it may be incompatible with the assumptions Emu68 makes about the machine. * The safe rule here is not, MMULib will always crash Emu68, but rather: @{B}do not install MMULib on Emu68 unless current Emu68 documentation or current user-tested guidance specifically calls for it.@{UB} @{B}PiStorm / Emu68 users: the AmigaOS 3.2 CPU library gotcha@{UB} One point that often confuses new PiStorm users is that the AmigaOS 3.2 installer still asks about CPU libraries during installation, just as it would on a conventional 68030, 68040, or 68060 accelerator. On an @{B}Emu68@{UB} system, however, that can be misleading. Current Emu68 setups provide their @{B}own built-in 68040.library@{UB} through the Emu68 boot environment and initialize it automatically during startup. In other words, a PiStorm running Emu68 should @{B}not@{UB} be treated like a normal physical 68040 accelerator with a hard-drive-based CPU library stack. For that reason, if you install AmigaOS 3.2 on a PiStorm32-lite running Emu68 and the OS copies a @{B}68040.library@{UB} into @{B}LIBS:@{UB}, it is generally best to remove or disable that hard-drive CPU library afterwards and let Emu68 use its own built-in support instead. The same cautious approach applies to @{B}MMULib@{UB}: do not install it on Emu68 by default just because the OS installer offers CPU-library options intended for traditional Motorola accelerators. The safest rule is simple: * @{B}Real Motorola 68040/68060 board:@{UB} follow the board's normal CPU-library guidance. * @{B}PiStorm running Emu68:@{UB} let Emu68 provide the CPU-side support unless current Emu68 documentation explicitly says otherwise. If you want to play safe, do not immediately delete the OS-installed @{B}68040.library@{UB}. Instead, rename or move it out of @{B}LIBS:@{UB} for example by renaming it to @{B}68040.library.off@{UB} so you can easily restore it later if you repurpose the same system partition for a real 68040-based accelerator or another conventional setup that expects it. @{B}So Which Parts of MMULib Matter Most?@{UB} If you are running a traditional Motorola-based accelerator, it helps to think in layers: @{B}You probably care about Mu CPU libraries if:@{UB} * you have a 68040 or 68060 accelerator * you want a clean, modern processor library setup under AmigaOS 3.2 * your board documentation or community guidance already points to Richter's 68040/68060 libraries @{B}You may care about mmu.library if:@{UB} * you are using Mu CPU libraries that depend on it * your accelerator has a real MMU * you want MMU-assisted tools such as @{B}MuFastROM@{UB} * your board benefits from a custom MMU configuration @{B}You may want the extra MuTools if:@{UB} * you want ROM remapping, cache tuning, or MMU-based diagnostics * you are comfortable fine-tuning an accelerated classic Amiga * you are following a known-good configuration for your board @{B}Aminet vs. OS 3.2 Stock: Which Version?@{UB} A common point of confusion is whether to stick with the MMULib version bundled with AmigaOS 3.2 or to install the latest version from Aminet. The copy included with OS 3.2 is there to give users a sane, supported baseline. For many straightforward systems, that may be enough. However, Thomas Richter has continued to maintain MMULib independently, and later Aminet releases may contain bug fixes, updated libraries, and refinements for newer edge cases or accelerator behaviour. A sensible modern approach is: * @{B}Start with the OS 3.2-supplied components@{UB} if you want a conservative, known baseline. * @{B}Move to the latest Aminet version@{UB} if your accelerator?s community specifically recommends it, or if you need newer fixes for a 68040/68060 setup. * If you only need the @{B}CPU libraries@{UB} rather than the full suite of tools, remember that the Mu ecosystem also includes packages focused more narrowly on the processor libraries themselves. @{B}Conclusion: The Practical Rule of Thumb@{UB} MMULib is not magic, and it is not a universal requirement for every accelerated Amiga running OS 3.2. But neither is it just a relic for developers running Enforcer. The real question is not "Do I have AmigaOS 3.2?", but rather: @{B}1. What CPU do I actually have?@{UB} A full 68030, 68040, or 68060 behaves very differently from an EC or LC variant, and very differently again from an FPGA or ARM-based 68k environment. @{B}2. Am I using Richter's Mu CPU libraries?@{UB} If yes, @{B}mmu.library@{UB} may be part of the expected setup, especially on 68040 and 68060 systems. @{B}3. Do I want MMU-assisted features such as MuFastROM or custom cache control?@{UB} If yes, then a real MMU-equipped processor matters. @{B}4. Does my board already provide its own preferred firmware, MapROM, or vendor tools?@{UB} If it does, use those as your first reference point rather than assuming every card should be configured like a Blizzard or TF1260. In short: * @{B}Real 68040/68060 accelerator?@{UB} Very likely worth looking at Mu CPU libraries, and possibly @{B}mmu.library@{UB}. * @{B}Real 68030 with MMU?@{UB} MMULib features can be useful, but are often optional. * @{B}EC/LC CPU without the relevant hardware feature?@{UB} MMU-dependent features may not apply. * @{B}Vampire / Apollo / Emu68 / other non-traditional 68k environment?@{UB} follow the platform's own guidance first; do not assume classic MMULib advice automatically carries over. Used in the right context, MMULib remains one of the most useful pieces of infrastructure in the modern classic Amiga world. The key is simply knowing when you need @{B}the CPU libraries@{UB}, when you need @{B}mmu.library@{UB}, and when you should leave the whole stack alone.Top@NODE PicoWyfy "PicoWyfy MAC Address Guide" 1. PicoWyfy (Clockport Device) Amigamacaddress The PicoWyfy uses an embedded Raspberry Pi Pico W. Because it relies on the Amiga side to explicitly initialize the card, it won't broadcast itself if the router drops the initial unauthenticated handshake. Method A: Using PicoWyfyCtl (Easiest) 1. Open a standard AmigaDOS Shell window. 2. Type the following command and press Enter: PicoWyfyCtl status 3. The utility will output the hardware status of the Pico W chip. Look for the line labeled MAC Address: to find your string. Method B: Via Roadshow TCP/IP Stack 1. Open an AmigaDOS Shell window. 2. Type: NetInfo 3. Look for the active network interface (usually picowyfy.device). 4. The 12-digit hardware address will be displayed under the interface info. @{" Back to Main Menu " LINK amigamacaddress} @NODE PiStorm "PiStorm MAC Address Guide" Amigamacaddress 2. PiStorm (Emu68) PiStorm configurations running Emu68 bridge network traffic directly through ethernet.device. The physical Wi-Fi chip on the Raspberry Pi 3A+, 4, or CM4 handles the transmission. Method A: AmigaDOS NetInfo 1. Ensure your TCP/IP stack (like Roadshow) is attempting to start. 2. Open a Shell and type: NetInfo 3. Scan the output for ethernet.device to locate the physical Hardware Address line. Method B: Boot Log Diagnostics (Offline Method) 1. Power down your Amiga and remove the Pi's MicroSD card. 2. Insert the card into a PC, Mac, or Amiga card reader. 3. Open cmdline.txt in the boot partition and append: emu68.mac=show to the argument line. 4. Put the card back in the PiStorm and boot the Amiga. 5. Emu68 will write network diagnostics including the native Pi MAC address straight into the emu68.log file on the card. @{" Back to Main Menu " LINK amigamacaddress} @NODE A314 "A314-cp MAC Address Guide" Amigamacaddress 3. A314-cp (Clockport Edition) The A314-cp routes data to a Raspberry Pi running a full Linux OS in the background via a shared clockport memory interface. Method A: Calling Linux via AmigaDOS Shell If you have the A314 software system active, you can send commands directly to the Pi's Linux terminal from AmigaDOS: 1. Open a Shell window. 2. Type the following command string: pi ip link show wlan0 3. Look into the resulting output string for the field marked link/ether. The MAC address follows immediately after it. Method B: Direct SSH Terminal Connection 1. Temporarily drop your router's MAC filter so the Pi can connect. 2. Use an SSH terminal client on a laptop or smartphone on the network. 3. Connect to the Pi's local hostname: ssh pi@raspberrypi.local 4. Once logged into the Linux prompt, execute: ip address show wlan0 5. The hardware MAC will be listed next to the link/ether block. @{" Back to Main Menu " LINK amigamacaddress} @NODE Universal "Universal Router Scanning Method" Amigamacaddress 4. The Universal Router Scan Method If AmigaDOS command line utilities or Linux configurations feel a bit intimidating, this universal troubleshooting method works flawlessly across all hardware types. Step-by-Step Instructions: 1. Access your router configuration page via a web browser and temporarily turn MAC Filtering OFF. 2. Boot your Amiga and initialize your wireless software/TCP-IP stack as normal so it establishes a valid connection. 3. Open a network analyzer tool on your phone (such as Fing) or a desktop tool (such as Advanced IP Scanner). 4. Run a network scan. Look for an active device manufacturer listed as "Raspberry Pi Foundation" or an unrecognized device IP. 5. Note down the exact MAC address displayed next to it. 6. Paste or type this address directly into your router's Whitelist configuration menu, save the settings, and turn MAC filtering back ON. Router Tip for Users: Many Japanese router brands (like Buffalo or Elecom) are highly case-sensitive regarding entries and might throw syntax errors. If your address is rejected, try swapping between uppercase and lowercase letters, or check if the form requires colons (:) versus hyphens (-). @{" Back to Main Menu " LINK amigamacaddress}Amiga Wi-Fi MAC Address Finder Guide
Guides ============================================================================ Amiga 101: Amiga Wi-Fi MAC Address Finder Guide by Timo Paul ============================================================================ Modern router security often relies on MAC Address Filtering (Allow Lists) to keep networks safe. However, finding the physical MAC address of a modern wireless expansion card on classic Amiga hardware can be a real headache. This guide provides step-by-step instructions for identifying the MAC addresses of the most popular Amiga Wi-Fi solutions to ensure smooth router authentication. Select your hardware device below: * @{" 1. PicoWyfy (Clockport) " LINK PicoWyfy} * @{" 2. PiStorm (Emu68 / ethernet.device) " LINK PiStorm} * @{" 3. A314-cp (Clockport Raspberry Pi Co-processor) " LINK A314} * @{" 4. Universal Router Scanning Method " LINK Universal} ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Press Help at any time for navigation assistance.TopArticles
CONTENTS ============================================================================ -= A R T I C L E S =------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -= The Making of Echoes of Kindness Amiga Album =- In July I released a new album done entirely on the Amiga and as a charity album with all proceeds going to animals saved from slaughter. This is a diary on the processes on making the album. -= Amiga and Japan =- We take a dive into 90s Japan and see how the Amiga was used and viewed by the Japanese public. -= Why I'm Saying Goodbye to My Real Amigas =- Bytebandit is saying goodbye to his Amigas, read and see if you agree with his reasons or not. -= The Callback: Is Commodore Trying to Fix the Wrong Problem? =- Commodore and Perifractic have been making some pretty strong statements with the Callback, we question are they looking in the wrong place? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Articles - WhatIFF? Issue 5.21 - August 2026#TopThe Making of Echoes of Kindness Amiga Album
Articles ============================================================================ The Making of Echoes of Kindness Amiga Album - by: Timo Paul ============================================================================ Echoes of Kindness is an album I created on my trusty old Amiga 1200. The project was made with the intention of giving something back to both the vegan and Amiga communities. Although I am a strict vegan, I do not spend my time preaching or protesting about the animal cruelty that still exists throughout the world?perhaps I should. Instead, I wanted to use my passion for the Amiga to create something that could help animals in a different way. Every sale of the album supports charities and animal sanctuaries that care for animals rescued from slaughter. Thanks to the support of AmigaBill, along with mentions from Amiga Addict and Retro Gamer, the album has sold far beyond my expectations. At the time of writing, it has raised over ?50, with every penny going directly to an animal sanctuary. How the Album Was Made Although I wanted to create the album almost entirely on my Amiga, I had to make one compromise: creating the sounds themselves. Investing in hardware synthesizers would certainly have been fun, but my wife probably would not have appreciated the sudden loss of living space, regardless of how much I tried to justify it! Instead, I turned to an old friend "Renoise" and the huge selection of free VST instruments available online. Using a Mac limited my choices somewhat compared to Windows, but there are still plenty of excellent free plugins available. For the synthesizers, I mainly used TAL Noisemaker, MonoFury, and Alpha Free. Drum sounds came from Renoise's excellent built-in sample library. Once the sounds were created, I imported them into the Amiga using the TechnoSound Turbo hardware. However, I did not use the TechnoSound Turbo software itself, as I found it rather awkward to work with. Instead, I relied on AudioMaster for all of my sampling. In some cases, I created chords or riffs in Renoise, rendered them as WAV files, and then used SoundBox to convert them into mono IFF samples. This proved to be a great way of creating richer, layered sounds from a single sample. Composing on the Amiga For composing, I went straight to OctaMED v5. While many people consider OctaMED v4 to be the definitive version, I prefer v5 thanks to its pull-down menus and the simpler workflow when editing samples. The project took around a year to complete, fitting the work around my job and everyday life. One thing I have noticed as I have grown older is that time spent with the Amiga has become much rarer. Because of that, I think I appreciate it even more whenever I get the chance to sit down and create something. Creating the album was a rewarding experience. Even though I used modern tools during the sound design stage, it was satisfying to work within the Amiga's limitations of four audio channels and 8-bit sound. There is something uniquely enjoyable about working within those constraints, they encourage creative solutions that simply would not occur in a modern digital audio workstation with virtually unlimited resources. The most challenging part was getting every sample tuned correctly. With modern software such as Renoise, pitch adjustment is effortless. On the Amiga, however, playback frequency and sampling rates have a much greater impact on how a sound behaves, so getting everything in key required much more patience and experimentation. Looking Back Overall, I am incredibly pleased with how Echoes of Kindness turned out. Completing a full album on the Amiga was an achievement I had wanted to accomplish for a long time, but knowing that it can also help animals who have no voice makes it even more meaningful. I have no illusions that this album will change the world, but if it helps even a handful of rescued animals, then it has achieved something worthwhile. One of the biggest surprises during the project was discovering just how many fellow Amiga enthusiasts are also vegans. Finally, thank you to everyone who has purchased the album or donated extra towards the cause. A special thank you also goes to AmigaBill for featuring the album, and to Amiga Addict and Retro Gamer for helping spread the word. Your support has made this project far more successful than I ever imagined.TopThe Amiga in Japan:How a Handful of Artists Changed Japanese Television
Articles ============================================================================ The Amiga in Japan - Part One - by: Timo Paul ============================================================================ How a Handful of Artists Changed Japanese Television: Part One "Every Amiga user has heard the story that the machine never made it in Japan. After all, how could an imported computer hope to compete with NEC, Sharp and Fujitsu on their own turf? The surprising thing is that the story isn't wrong - it just isn't complete." When Commodore launched the Amiga in 1985, it introduced a computer unlike anything most people had ever seen. While other home computers struggled to display a handful of colours, the Amiga was effortlessly producing thousands. It played sampled sound that rivalled dedicated synthesisers, multitasked with ease and animated graphics so smoothly that it often looked as though it belonged in a television studio rather than a spare bedroom. Across Europe, the machine would become a legend. It inspired bedroom programmers, demo coders, musicians, artists and game developers, and for many of us it remains the computer against which every other system is measured. Japan, however, was a different story. Unlike Europe, where the Amiga entered a market dominated by 8-bit machines, Japan already possessed one of the most advanced and fiercely competitive personal computer industries in the world. The NEC PC-9801 had become the standard business machine, Fujitsu's FM series enjoyed widespread popularity, the MSX standard had united manufacturers behind a common platform, and Sharp would soon introduce the X68000, a computer whose arcade-quality graphics would earn it an almost mythical reputation among enthusiasts. Into this crowded landscape arrived Commodore. It was a brave move, some might even say an impossible one. From the very beginning, the Amiga faced an uphill battle. It wasn't enough to produce impressive graphics or advanced sound; Japanese buyers already had an abundance of capable domestic machines, backed by familiar manufacturers with extensive software libraries and established dealer networks. Commodore was asking customers to choose a foreign computer in a market that was already overflowing with home-grown alternatives. Yet the hardware was only part of the challenge. One of Commodore's greatest oversights was its failure to fully localise the Amiga for Japanese users. Unlike the Commodore 64, which had received a Japanese keyboard, the Amiga never gained an official Japanese version of Workbench, nor a dedicated JIS keyboard. To Japanese consumers, this was more than an inconvenience. It immediately signalled that the computer had not been designed with their market in mind. Instead, enthusiasts were forced to rely on third-party solutions. Chief among these was ANS, the Amiga Nihongo System developed by SoftHouse Tecnode. ANS transformed the Amiga into something far more practical for Japanese users, adding Japanese fonts, kana-to-kanji conversion, text input methods and translated Workbench menus. It was an impressive piece of software and a testament to the dedication of Japan's small Amiga community, but it also highlighted a problem Commodore itself never solved. Looking back, it's tempting to conclude that this alone explains why the Amiga struggled in Japan. While it certainly explains part of the story, itt does not explain what happened next. Because while Commodore was fighting an increasingly difficult commercial battle, something rather unexpected was taking place behind the scenes. The Amiga was quietly finding its way into places few people would have predicted. Not classrooms or offices, but artists' studios. Television production companies. Small computer graphics houses. Creative spaces where people cared less about spreadsheets and word processors than they did about colour, movement and imagination. For this small but influential group of creators, the Amiga wasn't competing with the NEC PC-9801 at all. It was offering something entirely different. Looking for Movement One of the first people in Japan to recognise that difference was a young artist named Toshio Iwai. Today, Iwai is known around the world for his interactive installations, experimental musical instruments and collaborations that blur the boundaries between art and technology. In the mid-1980s, however, he was simply another artist fascinated by the possibilities of computers. Like many Japanese enthusiasts of the period, Iwai's journey into computer graphics began on domestic hardware. He experimented with machines including Sony's SMC-70G and Fujitsu's FM-77AV, both respected systems in their own right. The FM-77AV was particularly impressive, boasting a 4,096-colour palette years before true colour displays became commonplace. On paper, it looked remarkable. In practice, it still left Iwai wanting more. Years later, when discussing those early days, one detail becomes strikingly clear. Iwai rarely talks about colour depth or processor speeds. Instead, he keeps returning to a much simpler idea. Static images no longer satisfied him. He wanted pictures that moved, evolved and reacted. He wanted animation. This is perhaps the first clue to understanding why the Amiga made such a profound impression on him. While many contemporary computers treated graphics as something to be displayed, the Amiga seemed to have been built around the idea that graphics should move. Its custom chipset, blitter and Copper were not simply technical achievements; together they created a machine that encouraged experimentation. Animation felt immediate. Drawing became playful rather than laborious. The computer responded almost as quickly as the imagination itself. For an artist, that was transformative. Iwai's first encounter with the Amiga came during a visit to Borderband Japan, where he saw one of the earliest machines to reach the country. We can only imagine what that demonstration must have looked like. After years of working within the limitations of contemporary Japanese systems, suddenly there was a computer capable of smoothly animating colourful graphics in real time. Years later, reflecting on the experience during an interview for the NTT InterCommunication Center, Iwai summed up the moment with characteristic modesty: | "That's where I really started using the Amiga." It is a wonderfully understated quote. History often turns on moments that seem almost insignificant at the time, and this was one of them. Without realising it, Iwai had found the machine that would shape much of his creative career. It's easy to forget how revolutionary the Amiga's interface felt in 1985. Most computers still expected users to type commands or navigate cumbersome menus. The Amiga invited you to point, click and create. More importantly, it encouraged experimentation. You could try an idea, discard it moments later and begin again without wasting expensive materials or hours of painstaking work. That philosophy found its perfect expression in DeluxePaint. To many Amiga owners, DeluxePaint was simply the best paint package ever written. To artists like Toshio Iwai, it became something more significant: a sketchbook that happened to exist inside a computer. One story from Iwai's interview captures this spirit perfectly. Before DeluxePaint included dedicated animation features, he discovered that repeatedly pressing the J key rapidly switched between the front and back drawing screens. The effect created a crude but surprisingly effective animation preview. Instead of waiting for the software to provide the feature, he invented his own solution. It is exactly the sort of discovery that seems uniquely Amiga. Talk to enough Amiga users and you'll hear similar stories: hidden keyboard shortcuts, ingenious workarounds and accidental discoveries that became part of everyday workflows. The computer rewarded curiosity, and in doing so it encouraged people to think creatively not only about what they wanted to make, but how they wanted to make it. For Iwai, the mouse itself became part of that experience. Drawing directly onto the screen with immediate visual feedback felt astonishingly natural. Rather than distancing him from his artwork, the computer seemed to disappear beneath the creative process. The mouse was no longer simply a pointing device. It became a pencil, a paintbrush and, eventually, the controller for an entirely new way of producing television graphics. That may sound like an exaggeration. It wasn't. Within just a few years, the Amiga would leave the artist's desk and step into the television studio. Read part two in issue WhatIFF? 5.22 December 2026 ...TopWhy I'm Saying Goodbye to My Real Amigas
Articles ============================================================================ Why I'm Saying Goodbye to My Real Amigas - by: Bytebandit ============================================================================ For almost forty years, I have owned a real Amiga. From the launch of the original machine in the 1980s right through to 2026, there has always been an Amiga somewhere in my home. I've owned several different models over the years, upgraded them, repaired them, expanded them, and enjoyed every minute of using them. For much of that time, I couldn't imagine ever replacing genuine hardware with an emulator. Yet today I find myself doing exactly that. This isn't because I've fallen out of love with the Amiga. Quite the opposite. It is because I want to continue enjoying the platform without the growing anxiety that now comes with owning increasingly fragile and valuable vintage hardware. ## Hardware Isn't Getting Any Younger Every year our beloved Amigas become another year older. Capacitors age. Custom chips fail. Power supplies wear out. Plastic becomes brittle. Expansion cards develop faults. Even something as simple as a floppy drive can require servicing. The uncomfortable reality is that these machines were never designed to still be in daily use forty years after they were manufactured. When something does eventually fail, the repair is often far from straight forward. Finding replacement parts is becoming more difficult, and there are fewer people with the knowledge and equipment to carry out repairs. As supply decreases, prices naturally continue to rise. ## The Hobby Is Becoming Increasingly Expensive Being an Amiga enthusiast has never been a particularly cheap hobby, but it has certainly become more expensive in recent years. The value of original hardware continues to increase, which is wonderful if you're looking at your Amiga as a collector's item. However, that increasing value comes with a downside. Every repair becomes more expensive. Replacement components become rarer. Expansion cards command premium prices. Even routine maintenance begins to feel like protecting an investment rather than simply enjoying a computer. There's also the nagging worry that every time you switch the machine on, you hope today won't be the day that something irreplaceable finally gives up. ## Emulation Has Finally Come of Age Years ago, emulation always felt like a compromise. Timing wasn't quite right. Compatibility wasn't perfect. Certain demos or games didn't behave correctly, and there was always something missing that reminded you that you weren't using the real machine. That is no longer my experience. Modern emulators have become astonishingly accurate. Whether using WinUAE on Windows or Amiberry on a Raspberry Pi, the experience today is remarkably close to genuine hardware for the overwhelming majority of software. Workbench behaves exactly as I expect. Games run beautifully. Development is effortless. Hard drives are simply files. Configurations can be backed up in seconds. If something goes wrong, restoring everything is often as simple as copying a directory. Best of all, the software keeps improving without requiring me to replace failing hardware. ## Convenience Wins Perhaps the biggest surprise for me is that convenience has become more important than authenticity. When I want to use the Amiga today, I simply launch an emulator. Within seconds I'm back at my familiar Workbench desktop. There are no concerns about aging power supplies. No worries about leaking capacitors. No fear of a custom chip failing. No expensive hardware sitting on the desk that could require hundreds of pounds' worth of repairs tomorrow. I simply enjoy using the Amiga. Ironically, I now spend more time actually using Amiga software than I did when I insisted on using only original hardware. ## A Difficult Decision Selling my real hardware hasn't been an easy decision. There is something magical about hearing the click of a genuine keyboard, watching the power LED illuminate, and knowing you're using the same machine that amazed you decades ago. No emulator can truly replace that feeling. But nostalgia alone is no longer enough for me. I've realised that I enjoy the Amiga for its operating system, its software, its games, and its community, not necessarily because the code is running on original Commodore chips. ## My Amiga Journey Continues Some people will always prefer original hardware, and I completely understand why. There is enormous satisfaction in preserving these remarkable machines, and I sincerely hope enthusiasts continue restoring and maintaining them for many years to come. As for me, after owning real Amigas continuously since their launch, I've reached a different conclusion. Emulation allows me to continue enjoying everything I love about the Amiga without the mounting costs, the fear of hardware failure, or the endless search for replacement parts. For the first time in nearly four decades, I won't have a real Amiga on my desk. Surprisingly, I don't feel like I'm leaving the Amiga behind. I simply feel like I've chosen the most practical way to enjoy it for the years ahead.TopTHE CALLBACK: IS COMMODORE SOLVING THE WRONG PROBLEM?
============================================================================ The Callback: Is Commodore Solving the Wrong Problem - by: Timo Paul ============================================================================ Commodore has been making some bold claims about modern technology. With its new Callback phone, the revived company isn't merely selling a simpler mobile. It is selling an idea: that our smartphones have taken too much from us, that constant connectivity is damaging our wellbeing, and that stepping away from the modern smartphone can help us reclaim something we have lost. It is an attractive idea. It may even be helpful for some people. But is Commodore confusing a symptom with a cause? A PRICE TOO PRECIOUS? In Commodore's article "A Price too Precious?", the company asks: "Do you find yourself touching your phone in your pocket whenever you're anxious, and pull it out to disappear?" It is an interesting choice of words, because read carefully, the sentence does not actually say that the phone caused the anxiety. It describes someone who is already anxious and reaches for their phone in response. That distinction matters. If I become anxious and compulsively eat chocolate, taking the chocolate away might prevent that particular behaviour. It does not necessarily explain why I was anxious in the first place. The same possibility exists with smartphones. Someone who is lonely, stressed, depressed, worried about school or work, experiencing bullying, or simply dissatisfied with their life may retreat into a phone precisely because it offers distraction. Take the phone away and the distraction disappears. But what happens to the original problem? WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH ACTUALLY SAY? This is where Commodore's argument becomes considerably less certain than its marketing suggests. There is evidence linking some forms of smartphone and social-media use with poorer mental health, particularly among younger people. That should not simply be dismissed. Social comparison, cyberbullying, disrupted sleep, compulsive checking and the constant pursuit of social approval can clearly become unhealthy. Social-media platforms are deliberately designed to encourage continued engagement, and for some people reducing their exposure may genuinely improve their lives. But there is an important difference between saying: "Smartphones can contribute to mental-health problems." and: "Smartphones are causing the mental-health crisis." Research has struggled to establish the second claim. Much of the evidence showing relationships between smartphone use, social-media use and poorer wellbeing is correlational. If people who spend more time online are more anxious or depressed, we still have to ask which direction the relationship runs. Does increased smartphone use make someone unhappy? Does an unhappy person spend more time on their smartphone? Do both result from another factor? Or, perhaps most plausibly, do all of these things interact? Recent research increasingly presents a complicated and often bidirectional relationship rather than the simple cause-and-effect story we are sometimes given. That makes the Callback an intervention, not necessarily a cure. MOVING THE PROBLEM Imagine a teenager who feels socially isolated. Online games, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube or Discord might become places to escape those feelings. Excessive use could subsequently make matters worse. Perhaps they sleep less, exercise less or constantly compare themselves with other people. Taking the smartphone away might therefore be beneficial. But the original social isolation has not necessarily disappeared. The danger comes when society identifies the most visible behaviour and declares that to be the cause. We have effectively moved the problem from: "Why are so many young people anxious, lonely or unhappy?" to: "Why are young people always looking at their phones?" The second question is much easier to answer. Unfortunately, it may not answer the first. Economic insecurity, educational pressure, changing family structures, bullying, reduced independence for children, lack of community spaces, sleep, social isolation and many other environmental factors potentially contribute to wellbeing. Those problems are enormously difficult to solve. Taking away a smartphone is comparatively easy. THAT DOESN'T MAKE THE CALLBACK A BAD IDEA This is an important distinction because none of this means that Commodore's Callback is pointless. In fact, there is something rather appealing about it. If someone recognises that they compulsively check social media every few minutes, deliberately choosing a device that makes doing so difficult could be extremely useful. Sometimes changing our environment is much easier than relying upon willpower. We do this elsewhere in life. Someone trying to eat less junk food might simply stop keeping it in the house. Someone struggling to concentrate might work somewhere without a television. A deliberately limited phone can work on exactly the same principle. In that sense, Commodore may have created a useful tool. The problem comes when the tool becomes an explanation. THE $399 QUESTION Commodore makes another fascinating argument in "A Price too Precious?" Responding to criticism of the Callback's specifications and price, the company suggests that people complaining about its specifications may themselves have been conditioned by a culture obsessed with having the newest, fastest and greatest technology. There is a grain of truth here. The technology industry has spent decades convincing us that perfectly functional devices are inadequate because a newer one has another camera, a faster processor or a slightly brighter display. As Amiga users, we should perhaps understand that better than most. Many of us continue doing useful and enjoyable things with computers containing processors measured in tens of megahertz rather than gigahertz. More isn't automatically better. But there is a problem with Commodore's argument. Someone can reject endless technological upgrades and still think $399 is expensive. Questioning the value of a product isn't necessarily evidence that someone has been brainwashed by consumer culture. Otherwise the argument becomes impossible to challenge. "The specifications aren't good enough for $399." "You only think that because modern technology has conditioned you to value specifications." Heads Commodore wins, tails the customer loses. ONE DEVICE TO RULE THEM ALL? Commodore even invokes "The Lord of the Rings", comparing our attachment to smartphones with the corrupting attraction of the One Ring. It is a wonderful metaphor. It is also perhaps a little too convenient. The smartphone becomes the villain: a small black rectangle responsible for distraction, anxiety and our inability to disconnect from modern life. Destroy the ring and we are free. Real life is rarely so accommodating. Our phones didn't create the economic system in which we live. They didn't invent academic pressure, loneliness, insecurity, bullying or the human desire for social approval. They can certainly amplify those things. They can exploit them. And companies can design software that deliberately keeps us staring at a screen far longer than we intended. But amplification and causation are not the same thing. THE STRANGE IRONY OF CALLBACK There is also an irony that is difficult to ignore. Commodore's solution to our unhealthy attachment to expensive technological objects is... ...to sell us another technological object for $399. The Callback isn't actually a rejection of technology either. It offers messaging, maps, music, podcasts, games and Android application compatibility. Commodore has therefore not removed digital life so much as made a judgement about which parts of digital life we should retain. That is a perfectly legitimate product philosophy. But it is still a philosophy. It shouldn't be confused with scientific consensus. PERHAPS WE SHOULD ASK WHY The most valuable part of Commodore's campaign may actually be the question it raises. Why do we reach for our phones when we feel anxious? Why do some of us feel uncomfortable after only a few minutes without stimulation? Why are social-media feeds so difficult to put down? Why do so many young people report feeling unhappy? Those are important questions. But "because smartphones" is an unusually convenient answer to an extraordinarily complicated social problem. Perhaps putting our phones down occasionally really would make us happier. Perhaps buying a Callback would even help some people achieve that. But once the screen goes dark, we may discover that the things which made us want to disappear into it are still sitting there waiting for us. And those are the problems we really need to understand. SOURCES AND FURTHER READING Commodore - "A Price too Precious?", 1 July 2026. Commodore's own explanation of the Callback's philosophy, pricing and its argument for creating a boundary between the user and the modern smartphone. https://commodore.net/a-price-too-precious/ Orben, A., Meier, A., Dalgleish, T. & Blakemore, S-J. (2024). "Mechanisms linking social media use to adolescent mental health vulnerability." Nature Reviews Psychology, Vol. 3, pp. 407-423. This review describes the research linking social-media use and adolescent mental health as producing mixed and inconsistent findings. It examines ways social media may amplify existing vulnerabilities, including social comparison, sensitivity to feedback and social exclusion. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-024-00307-y Fassi, L., Ferguson, A.M., Przybylski, A.K., Ford, T.J. & Orben, A. (2025). "Social media use in adolescents with and without mental health conditions." Nature Human Behaviour, Vol. 9, pp. 1283-1299. A study of 3,340 young people aged 11-19 in the UK. Adolescents with mental-health conditions reported greater social-media use and differences in social comparison and responses to feedback. The study demonstrates an association between mental health and patterns of social-media use, but does not establish that social media caused the mental-health conditions. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02134-4 "Navigating youth, smartphones, and policy: a balanced perspective on digital wellbeing." Pediatric Research (2025). This review notes that links between young people's digital lives and mental wellbeing are often based on correlational evidence. Relatively few studies use stronger longitudinal or experimental methods, and fewer still clearly demonstrate a causal relationship between smartphone or social-media use and mental wellbeing. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-025-04288-3 Nature Reviews Psychology (2024). "Social media needs science-based guidelines." An editorial warning against reducing the rise in adolescent mental-health problems to a single cause. It argues that concentrating only on social media risks overlooking the complexity of the wider mental-health problem. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-024-00327-8 NOTE Research into smartphones, social media and mental health remains an active and contested field. The studies above do not demonstrate that smartphones are harmless. Rather, they show why a simple claim that smartphones are the primary cause of worsening mental health goes beyond what the current evidence can firmly establish.TopAminetPulse
CONTENTS ============================================================================ AminetPulse June - August 2026 ============================================================================ This issue we take our usual look through the latest Aminet uploads, covering roughly the period from June through to early August. While the number of uploads may not be as high as in Aminet's heyday, the quality remains consistently impressive. From modern networking software and development tools to polished Workbench utilities, there has been plenty to keep Amiga users busy. Below is our curated Top 10 from the past two months. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 10 Aminet Uploads (June - August) 1. Avalanche 4.1 One of the standout updates this period. Avalanche has received a welcome visual overhaul, giving the archive manager a much cleaner and more modern appearance. Archive tools are something every Amiga user relies upon, and it's great to see a utility that combines practicality with an attractive ReAction interface. A superb quality-of-life update. https://aminet.net/package/util/arc/avalanche ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Amelinium Perhaps the most ambitious upload of the last couple of months. A modern web browser for classic Amiga systems and an exciting project to watch as it continues to develop. https://aminet.net/package/comm/www/Amelinium ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. TelegramAmiga A native Telegram client for Amiga-derived systems. It is encouraging to see modern communications software appearing on our favourite platform. https://aminet.net/package/comm/tcp/TelegramAmiga ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. am-git Git comes to the Amiga, bringing modern version control to developers working on classic hardware. https://aminet.net/package/dev/misc/am-git ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. TheWire A lightweight TCP/IP stack that continues to mature, showing networking development is still alive and well. https://aminet.net/package/comm/tcp/TheWire13 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Fitz A compact TCP/IP file server and mounter that makes file sharing between Amigas and modern computers remarkably simple. https://aminet.net/package/comm/tcp/Fitz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. REDPILL Game Creator Still one of the easiest ways to build AGA games. Every update expands its capabilities and helps bring new titles to the platform. https://aminet.net/package/dev/misc/REDPILLGameCreator ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. AmiArcadia Continued updates keep this excellent emulator among the essential downloads for retro gaming fans. https://aminet.net/package/misc/emu/AmiArcadia ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. LumiPass A modern password manager showing that even security software has a place on today's Amiga. https://aminet.net/package/util/crypt/LumiPass ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. PocketLauncher A simple launcher that makes navigating large WHDLoad collections easier. https://aminet.net/package/game/misc/PocketLauncher ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. MagicMenu 3.1 The latest version of the ever useful popup menu utility, now sporting a new preferences pane create in MUI for more options than previous releases. https://aminet.net/package/util/wb/MagicMenu_3.1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Honourable Mentions Amico8 Finally the fantasy console comes to the Amiga thanks to Juen, needs an 68020 or better. https://aminet.net/package/misc/emu/Amico8 E-VO E-VO Amiga E Compiler is a derivative of the original Amiga E compiler written by Wouter van Oortmerssen. https://aminet.net/package/dev/e/evo ANAIIS USB Stack ANAIIS has been around for a while, its an acronym for Another Native Amiga IO Interface Stack, is a software solution that brings the possibilities of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) to the Amiga. https://aminet.net/package/driver/other/anaiis Term MTerm is a MorphOS-native BBS terminal application for connecting to classic ANSI, Amiga, and C64-style bulletin board systems. https://aminet.net/package/comm/bbs/MTerm_0.20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Thoughts Looking back over the past couple of months, one thing stands out above all else: diversity. Whether you're a developer, gamer or simply enjoy improving your Workbench setup, Aminet continues to deliver something for everyone. Until next time... ByteBanditTopWelcome to voices of the people behind Amiga hardware and software.
CONTENTS ============================================================================ -= T A L K I N G * A M I G A =--------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -= Axel Friedrich / Fancy Factory: Kaboomania =- With Kaboomania just around the corner, we sit down with the man behind the game and talk about its development. -= Stefan Reinauer: Reimagining a Classic with xSysInfo =- We talk to the developer behind the new standard in classic Amiga sytem information replacing the gaing SysInfo. -= Thomas L?bker: Amiga Imager for Mac =- Finally Amiga Mac users are getting some love from the PiStorm community with Amiga Imager. Find out about its development inside. -= Pawel Tukatsch / Awesome Games - Orbital Mission =- Released in June 2026, Orbital Mission is a tough but addictive game and we had a chance to talk to the team behind this great game. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Talking Amiga - WhatIFF? Issue 5.21 - August 2026#TopAxel Friedrich / Fancy Factory - Kaboomania Interview
Talkingamiga ============================================================================ Interview: Axel Friedrich / Fancy Factory - Kaboomania ============================================================================ *Kaboomania* takes clear inspiration from classic maze-bomber arcade games, yet it feels completely fresh. What was the original spark that made you say, I want to build a brand-new interpretation of this genre for the Amiga in 2026? Honestly, there was no grand business plan behind it, it was pure nostalgia. In mid-2025 I finally got myself an Amiga 1200, the machine I could never afford back in the day (I owned an A500), originally just to replay the old classics on real hardware. It didn't take long, though, before the developer in me woke up and I wanted to leave my own footprint on the platform. So I went looking for a manageable first project to get to know the hardware again, and a multiplayer game was right at the top of my wishlist, because early-90s me had an absolute blast with Dynablaster. The thing is, there's plenty about that genre that always bugged me. So the whole "brand-new" interpretation, really came out of wanting to keep everything I loved and fix everything I didn't. The game boasts an incredible 1,000 levels across 5 themed worlds. How do you approach level design to ensure the gameplay stays varied and addictive across such a massive campaign? Well, even though the levels are procedurally generated to a certain percentage, for me, variety has to be designed in from the very start, not bolted on at the end. Getting rid of the hated time limit was step one, it changes the entire feel of the game and lets each level breathe and become a little puzzle rather than a panic sprint. Each of the five worlds has its own visual and musically identity and its own mix of enemies, hazards and power-ups, so progressing actually feels like moving somewhere new instead of recolouring the same room. And with original collectibles like the magnet bomb, the bomb shower or the deadly shuriken in the toolbox, I can keep introducing fresh mechanical wrinkles deep into the campaign instead of repeating the same checkerboard over and over. You've given a special shout-out to Earok and the Scorpion Engine community. How has Scorpion changed the game for you as a developer, and what specific features of the engine made a project of this scale possible? Scorpion is genuinely the thing that made Kaboomania possible at all. Writing something this size in pure assembler would have eaten years, and frankly my own assembler days ended about two decades ago on a little C64 emulator of mine. Earok's engine lets me focus on the actual game instead of constantly fighting the metal. Make no mistake, you still do "real" programming in it: the palette handling, a tight variable budget, no floating-point maths, the 880 KB ceiling for a single floppy, those are real constraints you have to design around. Coming from C# and comfortable IDEs like Visual Studio it was a proper culture shock at first, but the Scorpion Discord community is fantastic and got me moving quickly. One step at a time. Delivering both an OCS version for a stock Amiga 500 (with 1MB) and a lavish 128-color AGA version is a massive achievement. What were the biggest technical hurdles in squeezing the *Kaboomania* experience down to fit the constraints of a standard A500? The core challenge is that everything you take for granted on AGA, the wide palette, the memory headroom, simply isn't there. On a stock A500 (with additional 0,5MB slow ram) you're working with far fewer colours and a much tighter memory budget, so it becomes a constant exercise in deciding what is truly essential to the Kaboomania look and what has to go. My goal was always that the A500 build still comes across as noticeably colourful and reads clearly, rather than feeling like a stripped-down afterthought. Keeping that arcade punch alive within those limits was probably the hardest balancing act of the whole project. Above all, I'm also glad that I don't have to make any compromises with Chris Huelsbeck's soundtrack in the OCS version. On the flip side, what does the AGA/CD32 hardware allow you to pull off technically, like the level caching or extra animation frames, that you're most proud of? On AGA the obvious win is those 128 colours used, and that's where Juliet's artwork really gets to sing. Beyond the palette, the extra hardware headroom simply lets me be more generous. So yes, there are more animation frames so the characters and effects feel livelier, and better level caching for smoother handling of the larger maps without long waiting times. It's the difference between making the experience fit and letting it breathe, and being able to give players that richer version on the bigger machines is something I'm really happy with. The 128-color pixel art by Juliet Clarke looks absolutely vibrant on a CRT. Can you tell us a bit about the collaborative process between design, programming, and art to get that distinct 16-bit arcade look? Juliet and I have worked together for many years now and she can do absolutely everything, from pixel art right through to 3D. What's wild is that Kaboomania is actually her very first pixel-art project, and I think you'd never guess it from the result. The process is genuinely back-and- forth: I work out what the gameplay and the hardware need, she brings the visual identity, and we iterate until it has that punchy 16-bit arcade look that really pops on a CRT. Having someone that versatile on the team is a luxury, and I think she's doing a fantastic job. We noticed a hilarious detail in the comments on Itch.io where a piece of promo art originally showed a Competition Pro joystick being held backward! It's great that the community spots these things. How has the initial feedback from the Amiga community and creators like Amiga Bill shaped the game's ongoing development? Ha,yes, the backwards Competition Pro! That's exactly the kind of thing this community is brilliant at: nothing gets past them, and honestly I love it. Feedback from Amiga players and from creators like Amiga Bill has been hugely motivating and genuinely useful, when you're a small team it's a bit like having a few hundred extra playtesters who care deeply about the platform. It absolutely shapes the game as it goes; the details matter enormously to these folks, and that constant attention pushes me to get them right. And NO, the backwards Competition Pro was no A.I. mistake :) Juliet simply never used a CP before. What's worse is that I didn't notice it. Securing a brand-new, exclusive soundtrack from legendary composer Chris Huelsbeck is a massive coup for the project. How did that dream collaboration come together? This one was a genuine childhood dream. Chris's Amiga music shaped my taste growing up, a lot of his melodies are still rattling around in my head thirty years later. Even two years ago I'd never have dreamed of actually working with him; the idea felt far too abstract. But once the A1200 was sitting on my desk I thought, asking can't hurt, and I simply emailed him not really expecting a reply. The thing about Chris is that he's an incredibly down-to-earth guy, so of course he answered. A few mails and a half-hour video tour of his new house later, we had a deal and the fun began. He's celebrating his 40th anniversary as a composer this year, and Kaboomania is his first brand-new soundtrack for an Amiga game in around 30 years, so it means an enormous amount to me. Fabian del Priore handled the MOD conversions for the soundtrack. Can you talk about the process of translating Chris Huelsbeck's new compositions into high-quality Amiga modules that fit within the memory limits of the system? Chris originally wanted to realise the project with his own TFMX sound engine, but that clashed with the Scorpion Engine I'm using, so sadly it wasn't possible. That's when he brought in Fabian del Priore, who he's worked alongside for around thirty years. Fabian's job is to translate Chris's new compositions into Amiga tracker format and make them sit within the machine's memory limits while still sounding great, and that's a real craft in itself. I think the result speaks for itself: if the Kaboomania title track isn't an earworm, I don't know what is. A huge selling point for *Kaboomania* is the 4-player couch battle mode. Balancing local multiplayer with dozens of quirky AI enemies on screen must be chaotic. How did you optimize the game to keep performance fluid during intense 4-player matches, especially on a stock 68020? Local four-player chaos was non-negotiable for me, that's exactly where my fondest Dynablaster memories come from. Keeping it fluid on a stock 68020 mostly comes down to discipline: you keep a close eye on what's actually on screen, you keep the enemy logic lean, and you design the multiplayer maps so the action stays readable even when everything's exploding at once. The whole point of couch mode is that it never stutters while four friends are elbowing each other on the sofa, so a lot of the work goes into making sure it simply stays smooth in the heat of the moment. And strictly speaking, there aren't actually dozens of enemies active at the same time, but to make it look and feel that way, we had to use a trick or two. What trick? That's top secret! :) Can you tease a few of your favorite collectibles, power-ups, or enemy behaviors that players will encounter in the deeper levels of the game? Happy to drop a few hints. On the power-up side there's the magnet bomb, the bomb shower and a rather nasty deadly shuriken, all original to Kaboomania rather than borrowed from the genre. The enemy roster is almost entirely our own creation too, each with its own quirky behaviour, and they get distinctly meaner the deeper you go. I'll happily leave the really sneaky surprises in the later worlds for players to discover for themselves. **cough**red dragon **cough** :) You've chosen a traditional password system for the retro vibes alongside modern WHDLoad support. Why was it important to you to preserve these authentic, old-school elements instead of just relying on modern save states? The password system is a deliberate nod to how we actually played back then there's something wonderfully authentic about jotting down a code, and it fits the retro spirit I'm after. Pairing that with modern WHDLoad support gives you the best of both worlds: the nostalgia of the classic approach for anyone who wants it, and the convenience for players running the game off a modern setup. I just didn't want to throw away those authentic touches simply because save states exist. And this way you can play the ADF version of the game on any stock original Amiga too, including saving (the highscore) to disk. The *WhatIFF?* team distributes the magazine natively on the Amiga as an AmigaGuide file to keep the classic reading experience alive. How do you feel about the current state of the Amiga scene, where new games, physical hardware expansions, and digital magazines are all thriving together? I think it's wonderful, and I'll happily admit I'm biased, because I burn for anything with a retro connection. The fact that a magazine like WhatIFF? still ships natively as an AmigaGuide file, that people are building physical hardware expansions, and that new games keep appearing, all at the same time, says everything about how alive this community is. It's not nostalgia kept on life support; it's a scene that is genuinely thriving, and it's a real privilege to be able to add something to it. With the demo out, an upcoming Kickstarter campaign, and a planned release down the road, what does the development roadmap look like for Fancy Factory over the coming months? The Kickstarter campaign was a great success to help offset development costs and then the full release. We're aiming for all platforms to launch simultaneously, with a release in (hopefully) August. There'll also be a boxed version in cooperation with APC&TCP via amigashop.org. And I'm already working on the next two titles, again for the Amiga, so there's plenty ahead. Finally, if you could go back in time to the early 90s and show a teenage version of yourself a copy of *Kaboomania* running on a stock Amiga 1200 with a Chris Huelsbeck soundtrack, what do you think your reaction would be? Oh, teenage me would completely lose it. Picture a kid of the German reunification era who'd just unwrapped a C64 under the Christmas tree and could only dream about an A1200, then show him his own game running on that exact machine, with a brand-new Chris Huelsbeck soundtrack of all things. I think he'd simply refuse to believe it was real, and then demand to play it immediately. Honestly, finishing Kaboomania felt like fulfilling that kid's dream on his behalf. But... when I really think about it... my question under the Christmas tree mentioned would probably have been: "Who the heck is Chris Huelsbeck?" :) Thank you for your time and fascinating answers, we wish you all the best with the launch of the game. Having played the demo I found it thoroughly enjoyable and am looking forward to the full version.TopStefan Reinauer: Reimagining a Classic with xSysInfo Interview
Talkingamiga ============================================================================ Interview: Stefan Reinauer: Reimagining a Classic with xSysInfo ============================================================================ Welcome to WhatIFF!, Stefan! To kick things off, Nic Wilson's original SysInfo is arguably one of the most iconic pieces of Amiga software ever written, almost every Amiga user runs it the moment they turn on a new or upgraded machine. What was the exact spark that made you decide to step up and rewrite this legendary utility completely from scratch? Hi Timo, thank you for having me! xSysInfo was my Christmas break project in late 2025. The idea came partly out of the previous project I was working on, the reproduction of the A4091 SCSI II Host Controller. I got a lot of questions from people around the speed of the Controller, and people frequently mentioned that even their onboard IDE controller on the A4000 would get 6MB/s; 6553500 bytes per seconds to be exact. They got this number from SysInfo of course, which every now and then runs into an internal variable/register overflow and gets stuck at 0xFFFF (65535) * 100 bytes. I kept musing that it would be so easy to fix, if only the source code for SysInfo was available. But Nick and the newer maintainer Tobias both got caught up in life and didn't have the time to work on SysInfo for many years now. So Christmas comes around, hot cocoa and cookies, and some time for a new project, and the decision was made. Your GitHub repository explicitly states that xSysInfo contains absolutely no code from the original tool. What were the main technical challenges of replicating that classic, nostalgic look and feel while building an entirely new foundation in modern C? Yeah the idea was definitely to write something from scratch, that is unencumbered and let's others participate at their heart's delight. Now, I have to add, that not all the code was written by me: xSysInfo uses the original Dhrystone implementation from Aminet, as well as identify.library and the bootable disk bundles with mmulib to enable all the advanced CPU features that bring out the performance in 68020 and later. I have to say, creating the first version that kind of looked like SysInfo and kind of behaved that way on my few Amigas was fairly easy to achieve. But two things have seen a lot of effort since the first release: Making sure the measurements are as accurate as possible, and making sure that xsysinfo works on the huge variety of Amiga hardware, operating systems and with all the drivers out there. That is definitely a part that SysInfo did extremely well, that I completely underestimated going into this project. Amiga setups today are wildly diverse. A user might be running a bone-stock Amiga 1000, a heavily expanded Amiga 1200 with an 060 accelerator, or modern FPGA-based hardware like the Apollo Core V4+, MiSTer, or PiStorm. How do you safely handle hardware discovery across 40 years of varying architecture without crashing older systems? Carefully, very carefully. Of course my own collection is limited compared to what is out there, and so I rely on the community to file bug reports and test my theories and assumptions. At the end of the day, it is an iterative process though: If someone has a piece of hardware that makes the code crash or report the wrong chips or performance numbers, please let me know and we can figure out what is going wrong. Interestingly, the different versions of software out there are just as tricky to support as the actual hardware: For example, AmiKit is using AfA_OS, which I believe uses parts of AROS on top of AmigaOS, and that had some interesting side effects where text stopped being rendered in some circumstances. xSysInfo also found bugs in a few storage drivers that are overwriting memory where they shouldn't. Of course when a crash happens when starting xSysInfo, the suspicion first falls on the tool and not the drivers. So I have also implemented a few safety measures to be more resilient against these sorts of problems. You've mentioned that a major motivator for xSysInfo was fixing the notorious overflow bugs in the original SysInfo?specifically the one that caps disk speed measurements at around 6.5 MB/s. Could you talk a bit about how you tackled this, especially in relation to your work on the A4091 Fast SCSI2 controller replica? I am not sure what SysInfo is doing there internally. It seems that there is a 16 bit counter that overflows occasionally, but that value seems to measure in units of 100 bytes. In xSysInfo I use 32bit counters everywhere, but the program also has a balanced approach on how long to test. So on a very fast storage device (think NVME on a PiStorm) you have to read a lot more data to get accurate results than, say, on a floppy disk, where you really don't want to read 500kB before returning a resilt, because that would take a minute. So xSysInfo tries to measure for a certain amount of time rather than by a fixed amount of data. The rough approach in xSysInfo is very similar to what Chris Hooper's amazing devtest tool is doing, just a lot simpler. Benchmarking on the Amiga is notoriously complex because modern accelerators use heavily optimized caches, burst modes, and different memory types (Chip, Fast, Zorro III, etc.). How does xSysInfo ensure that its Dhrystone, MIPS, and MFlops calculations are accurate and fair across both original Motorola CPUs and modern emulated/FPGA implementations? That is an excellent question. Of course there is always a way to do things better and more accurate, but sometimes it is even hard to tell what "more accurate" exactly means. Dhrystone tests in xSysInfo are using the original Dhrystone code. I am not sure what the original SysInfo is measuring, but it is not Dhrystones - which is why Tobias had taken out the Dhrystone naming in one of his last releases. But even then, the code is still written in C and so the compiler used to translate it has a certain impact on the results of the benchmark. For FLOPS I developed my own test, which runs a mix of floating point operations in a loop, and then corrects the result for loop overhead. The memory tests use a similar approach. There are many different ways of accessing memory on a 68k CPU, and some are significantly faster than others. So the code is trying to measure the upper bound of what's possible. Here, luckily, bustest and xSysInfo agree on the numbers within a small margin of error. One interesting observation was that your chip memory speeds will vary depending on the screen resolution. Which makes sense if you think about it: Because that memory is shares between the graphics subsystem and the CPU, the more bandwidth the graphics use up, the less is left over for the poor 68k. On the caches and their impact on benchmark and fairness, that is a bit of a tough one. At the end of the day, the benchmark results measure how well the benchmark runs on a specific system. That might or might now reflect your real world application. But that is no different from comparing for example raytracing software: Reflections running at a certain speed maybe predicts the direction on how fast TurboSilver is going to run, but any benchmark is only an approximation on what you might run on your machine. In recent updates (like v0.6.1), you introduced TinySetPatch, a minimal replacement for SetPatch to help bootable disk setups. What specific problems does TinySetPatch solve for users booting xSysInfo straight from a floppy on older Kickstart revisions? When AmigaOS starts, the 68k CPU is in their slowest possible mode for compatibility. No fancy features like caches or superscalar operation are turned on. And so benchmarks of course run slow or might even crash. I figured out that to initialize the CPU correctly, it is best to load the right 680x0.library for your system. But the CPU libraries (at least the ones in MMUlib) refuse to be loaded by anything other than SetPatch. I found out that SysInfo actually has two versions of SetPatch, one for 1.3 and one for 2.x+ systems. And one is copyrighted by Hyperion, the other by Cloanto (it seems). Rather than making the whole Amiga world angry just to load a library, I decided it was easier to write a minimal SetPatch replacement. Other than being Open Source and having a single binary that works on both 1.3 and 2.x, there are no fancy features in TinySetPatch. xSysInfo has a fantastic DISPLAY=auto tooltype feature that automatically switches between a custom PAL/NTSC screen for classic low-res monitors and a Workbench window for RTG (Graphics Card) users. How difficult was it to make the GUI adapt cleanly to both environments without losing its retro identity? Getting xSysInfo to run in a Window was pretty easy. Drawing on a new screen or in a Window on Workbench is not very different. Mapping the colors correctly was a bit trickier, as that changed a lot in the Kickstart between 2.0, 3.0 and 3.1+. The trickier part of the problem was that now you are exposed to all sorts of system preferences. Supporting different fonts and AfA_OS correctly was trickier. And one thing that keeps being asked for is a truly proportional GUI that scales with the screen resolution. The 640x200 window of xSysInfo looks a bit lost on your zz9000 Amiga with 3840x2160 resolution. :) You integrate several fantastic third-party libraries into your build process, such as Identify for hardware detection and FlexCat for localization. How has leveraging these modern open-source tools changed or accelerated the development of a classic Amiga application? The answer to that one is short: Without the great Open Source code out there, this project would have never happened. Originally I thought that I would get away without writing any detection / benchmark code myself, but instead my idea was to create an open source GUI wrapper around all the existing Open Source utilities (more or less). A few months later, this has not quite held up, but without standing on the shoulders of giants, writing something like xSysInfo could not be a project for a short holiday break. Speaking of localization, xSysInfo features impressive multi- language catalog support covering French, German, Polish, Italian, Turkish, and more. How important is it to you to maintain a global, multi-lingual approach for the modern Amiga scene? I remember the day Workbench 2.1 came out as if it were yesterday! Having a native language (German in my case) Workbench was a big deal! I have to admit, for my own use, that all my Amigas are set to English unless I am testing xSysInfo. It just makes it easier for me to communicate with others about the hobby. But since Internationalization was one of the coolest features of that time, and not all Amiga users dream in English, a fundamental tool like xSysInfo absolutely needs to support that. Modern developers are highly reliant on robust build chains. You've set up xSysInfo to be built via GCC cross-compilers (m68k-amigaos-gcc) with Python and Makefiles that can auto-generate a bootable ADF file. What is your personal development environment like, and do you ever do any testing or coding directly on a physical Amiga? At some point I started creating my own Docker container for bebbo's toolchain, because all the others didn't fulfil my requirements for building my projects from github actions: https://github.com/reinauer/container-amiga-gcc Lately I added scripts to create identical toolchains for macOS and Linux and even added support for newer compiler features and fixed a few bugs in the compiler. For quickly cranking out a feature, I typically work on my MacBook Air and test in WinUAE for macOS: https://github.com/reinauer/WinUAE My "daily driver" is a Amiga 3000D with an amigahid-pico and a RGB2HDMI connected to a KVM. I have a Raspberry Pi connected that can emulate a USB stick for my GOTEK floppy emulator, grab serial debugging output, and do JTAG in case I need to reprogram one of my hardware projects. Then I have small scripts that automate tasks (insert the latest xSysInfo adf on the Amiga, send CTRL-AMIGA-AMIGA, take a screenshot). Good engineers are impatient and a bit lazy, so I had to optimize to get a lot of the mundane tasks automated. We've seen some community feedback regarding behavior on different FPGA cores, such as the Minimig core on the MiSTer. How do you approach debugging edge cases where a core's hardware implementation might confuse standard discovery heuristics? Oh, I might have missed the Minimig feedback! Luckily I got myself a MiSTer just last week. I should go test xSysInfo on it after this interview! I do not have a magical bullet for these issues. Rather my approach is to attack the issues one at a time - and there are many many edge cases out there, which is why I am so happy to get feedback from people if something does not work. One one of my other projects, the CDFileSystem replacement ODFileSystem (https://github.com/reinauer/ODFileSystem) I started with a sort-of test driven strategy that has greatly helped keeping regressions out. On xSysInfo that is unfortunately not that easy, so I do rely on the Amiga community to help me make this project better. Aside from xSysInfo, your GitHub profile shows an incredible commitment to the Amiga platform with projects like ODFileSystem (an open-source CDFileSystem replacement) and laoshi (a ROM bank switcher). Where does your passion for writing low-level system software for the Amiga stem from after all these years? I spent a long time of my career working on very low level stuff, porting SUSE Linux to Alpha AXP CPUs in the early 2000s, working on coreboot, the Open Source BIOS replacement, and other projects. These days my job is often a bit more high level, so I use the Amiga as an outlet to get my low-level "kick". The Amiga is beautiful, because you can do pretty complex projects but you can still do everything in your garage without needing crazy expensive equipment or a ton of people. But more importantly, the Amiga is all about the community. I found some amazing people here in the SF Bay Area (and in the rest of the world!) and we keep pushing each other to do cool projects. The friendships I have made along the way while trying to get new life out of these old machines is what is really priceless. You've frequently asked the community to send in their benchmark results from real hardware (Dhrystones, MIPS, Chip/Fast/ROM speeds) along with their exact expansion specs. How are you planning to use this database of crowd- sourced hardware metrics in future versions of xSysInfo? Some of it already went into xSysInfo. It is an easy way for people to report potential problems (Why is that Amiga 4000 30% slower than mine with a very similar configuration?). But also the speed comparison on xSysInfo gets updated and fine tuned from those results. As the raw benchmark results numbers don't match those of SysInfo, I needed a way of getting actual numbers out there beyond what I have in my little garage. For example, later xSysInfo versions now have an A4000 with 68060 in the comparison, which I think is a very popular option since Chucky, TerribleFire, Matze and others have brought us a wealth of modern accelerator cards. Now that xSysInfo has reached a highly stable state with the latest 0.6.x and 0.7 iterations, what major features or new hardware screens are next on your roadmap? Are there any specific SCSI or expansion boards you are currently aiming to support better? I think the hardware section can use a bit more cleanup: Splitting Chipset, mainboard and CPU information. Since 0.7.0 I spent most of the time on improving compatibility with devices out there. I feel like xSysInfo is really becoming a lot more stable since I get more reports these days. But I added better text mode output, a dark mode for the GUI, and generally worked on making the GUI more snappy, which is kind of a big deal on the slower (68000 based) Amigas. I hope to get a bit more testing by the community under the hood before eventually releasing a 1.0 release. Long term, it would be nice to get in a more modern RTG GUI, but that is a big departure from the current structure, so it needs more design work. Since WhatIFF? is distributed globally as an AmigaGuide file directly to the community, what message would you like to leave for the hobbyists, hardware developers, and everyday users who rely on your tools to keep their classic platforms alive and kicking? Thank you all for being a part of this wild ride of keeping the Amiga spirit alive! If you find bugs, please report them! If you have ideas, send them over! All of the stuff I do is Open Source, so patches and improvements are very welcome, even if they are small and simple! And, trust yourselves and your abilities. Many of my Amiga projects started out with a feeling of "I don't think I can pull this off, but I am going to try anyways". So don't let that hold you back from contributing to our wonderful community. Last but not least, if you're visiting the SF Bay Area, drop me a note and stop by in my garage for some shop talk.TopThomas L?bker: Amiga Imager for Mac Interview
Talkingamiga ============================================================================ Interview: Thomas L?bker: Amiga Imager for Mac ============================================================================ Thomas L?bkerFor readers who may not know you yet, could you introduce yourself and tell us about your history with the Amiga platform? I'm Thomas, and I live in Hamburg, Germany. My Amiga story starts where a lot of ours do: with an A500, which I got when I was 12 years old. A CD32 came later, and it is actually the only Amiga I ever bought new. A few years later, when PCs started becoming unavoidable at home, I traded the A500 and my C64 for an A1200, then upgraded it with a Blizzard 1230 and an external PCMCIA CD-ROM drive. That PC phase only really lasted five or six years. During my first job at Xerox in Dublin, I got my hands on an early beta of Mac OS X, and from that point both my private and professional focus shifted toward the Mac. To me it felt more Amiga-like than Windows ever did, although I still have a soft spot for NT4 and Windows 2000. Like many people, I drifted away from the Amiga in the early 2000s and gave nearly everything away, except for the CD32. What brought me back was Covid. I was living in San Francisco at the time, in a very tiny studio apartment, and as someone who had always been into old tech I ended up falling down the retro-computing rabbit hole on YouTube. That is how I discovered Guru Meditation, Amiga Bill's channel, and it really pulled me back in. When I moved back to Germany, the first two things I did were buy a MiSTer and have that old CD32 recapped, and from there I was properly hooked again. I bought far too many Amigas, also started collecting classic Apple hardware, and began going to events like Amiga Meeting Nord, Amiga37,38,40 and the amazing Amiga Ruhrpott Convention. Later I also joined the Amiga Club Hamburg. A huge amount of Amiga Imager comes directly out of that community, but a lot of the testing credit really belongs to the Amiga Germany crowd on the IMP3 channel. They have been incredibly generous with their time and hardware, and a lot of what works in the app today works because somebody there tested a build on a machine I do not own and reported back in detail. What inspired you to create Amiga Imager, and what problem were you trying to solve for Amiga users on macOS? At the core, I was trying to solve a classic hen-and-egg problem. In order to do almost anything useful with an old Amiga, you first need a working way to get data onto it. That might mean PCMCIA file transfer, networking, or external media like CD or DVD, but all of those things already assume that you have a working system in the first place. If all you have is a 3.5-inch floppy drive and a pile of old disks that may not even read reliably anymore, getting to that point can be surprisingly difficult. On top of that, there was no good Mac-native way to prepare a modern SD or CF card with everything set up properly. There is partitioning, filesystems, the right filesystem, Kickstart handling, RTG drivers, the network stack, and a long tail of small Startup-Sequence and system-configuration details. Get one of them wrong and the machine may simply refuse to boot. In terms of inspiration, HST Imager and especially the first version of Emu68Imager were very important reference points for me. That early Emu68Imager release really impressed me and made me wish there were a tool like that on macOS. I even spent some time looking into whether I could somehow get it working on the Mac despite it being built around PowerShell, but I eventually gave up because it relied on too many Windows-specific components and workflows. What stayed with me, though, was the core idea. Those tools showed very clearly how valuable it is to reduce setup friction and make modern Amiga storage media much more approachable. Amiga Imager grew out of that same desire, just with a Mac-native focus and eventually a broader scope. What I wanted was something much simpler: put in a card, tell the app what hardware you have, click Build, and put the card into the Amiga. Everything in Amiga Imager grew out of that one idea. Many Amiga tools have traditionally been Windows-focused. Why was it important for you to create a native Mac solution rather than a cross- platform application? Part of that comes directly out of my professional background. I work as a Technical Product Owner and spend a lot of time thinking about large-scale Apple deployments in enterprise environments: how software is packaged, how it behaves on the platform, how it is distributed, and whether it actually feels native rather than merely portable. That mindset definitely shaped Amiga Imager. I did not want a cross-platform compromise. I wanted something that behaved like a proper Mac application: built in SwiftUI, signed and notarized, integrated with Finder, with drag and drop and Quick Look previews, and with nothing extra to install. That decision goes all the way down into the engine. The disk handling is native Swift and runs in-process, so the app can build a complete bootable AmigaOS installation without spinning up an emulator or depending on helper tools. Being a native Mac application is not an implementation detail for me. It is a real part of the project's identity, and also why a cross- platform port is not on the roadmap. Amiga Imager supports PiStorm/Emu68, classic Amiga hardware, and MiSTer. Was supporting all three platforms part of the original vision, or did that evolve over time? That definitely evolved over time. PiStorm came first, mainly because I wanted a better way to prepare my own cards on the Mac(and I also just got a PiStorm CM4 adapter for Christmas). At the time, the closest equivalent workflow lived on Windows, and I really did not want to drag out the only PC in the house and sit through Windows updates every time I needed to rebuild an image. The ready-made images online were fun to try, but they usually came with far more software than I actually wanted. So the project started as a way to build a cleaner PiStorm setup for myself. Later, while I was visiting friends in San Francisco, it clicked that this could become something broader: a proper Mac-side setup tool not just for PiStorm, but for classic Amigas and emulator-style targets as well. That was the point where it turned from a focused utility into a more complete Amiga toolkit. One of the most impressive aspects of the software is the automation of what can often be a complicated setup process. Which part of the development was the biggest challenge to automate reliably? The boot chain, without question. AmigaOS 3.2 on real hardware is full of beautiful little traps. My favorite example is a single error message, "This disk must be booted from Kickstart ROM 3.2 (V47)", that has bitten me three different times for three completely unrelated reasons. The first time it was a filesystem bug of my own quietly corrupting scsi.device. The second time it was an MMU interaction on an accelerated machine. The third time it was simply the wrong Startup-Sequence variant ending up on the disk. The symptom was identical every time, but the cause was different every time. That taught me very quickly not to pattern-match and assume, but to diagnose carefully. A close second would be RTG graphics, because every card family seems to number Picasso96 screen modes differently, and some of them only tell you the truth at runtime on real hardware, usually at an hour when you should definitely be asleep. PiStorm and Emu68 continue to evolve rapidly. How closely do you work with the wider PiStorm community, and how do you keep Amiga Imager compatible with new developments? I follow Emu68 development closely, and the app is designed to keep up with that pace. It fetches the current release automatically at build time, and there is also opt-in prerelease support, which mattered for transitions like Emu68 1.1 and things such as FrameThrower support. In practice, though, the real compatibility work happens with the community. The Amiga Germany IMP3 channel, the club, and other testers are the people who exercise the app on combinations I do not personally own. That feedback loop is often very fast: somebody posts a photo of a failed boot or a serial log, and a fixed build can be out a day later. What has been the most surprising feedback you've received from users since releasing the software? One thing that genuinely surprised me is how much interest has come from people using classic Amiga hardware. The project started very much around modern image-building workflows and PiStorm-era convenience, but in practice I get a lot of requests from classic hardware users, probably even more than from PiStorm users at this point. The other surprise is what people actually care about, because it is rarely the big headline feature. More often it is the small correctness details: the right locale catalogs, the games already appearing in iGame on first boot without a scan, or a drawer icon sitting exactly where it should. Retro users notice everything, and I genuinely love that about them. There is also a very direct feedback loop. Someone reports a failure on hardware I do not own, and very often there is a fixed build waiting for them the next day. That kind of back-and-forth with the community has easily been one of the best parts of the project. Recent versions have introduced your native Swift-based AmigaDiskKit engine. What motivated you to move away from external tools and build your own disk handling solution? It came down to control over correctness. When an external tool has a bug, you are often limited to working around it. And we did hit real issues, including boot-block corruption on large FFS partitions. When the engine is your own and a byte comes out wrong on real hardware, you can go straight to the source and fix the byte. That is what led to AmigaDiskKit. It now handles FFS and PFS3 natively, along with Rigid Disk Blocks, FAT32 for the Emu68 boot partition, ADFs, a full LHA decoder, and even the disk access that powers features like the file manager and Finder previews. There is also a strict rule in the project against relying on outside helper tools to do the real work, which means the app you download is genuinely the whole story. Once that engine existed, the project became much more capable than a simple image builder. As someone developing modern software for a retro platform, how do you balance authenticity with convenience? Are there features you deliberately avoid because they would change the Amiga experience too much? My rule of thumb is convenience on the Mac side and authenticity on the Amiga side. What comes out of a build should still feel like a clean, honest AmigaOS installation, with a real Workbench, standard preferences, and drivers where AmigaOS expects to find them, rather than a heavily themed mega-distro. I stay away from the prebuilt-distro approach for two reasons. The first is legal cleanliness, because every bundled file has to have a verified license chain, and doing that work matters. The second is philosophical: setting up your own Amiga is part of the fun, and the app should remove the error-prone parts without making every choice for the user. And where automation might actually compromise stability, I leave it alone. USB is a good example. It is started manually through Trident, because auto-starting the stack at boot can hang certain hardware. I would rather ship conservative defaults and let users stay in control. What does your testing process look like? How many real machines and configurations do you currently use when validating new releases? There are three layers to it. The first is an automated test suite, including "golden image" tests that build complete bootable images and then verify the result down to the individual byte. I should also say that the development itself has been helped quite a bit by AI. I had wanted to seriously explore AI-assisted development for a while, and this project became a very good place to do that. It absolutely helped increase the speed of iteration and implementation, but only because every important change still has to survive testing and real hardware. The second is my own hardware, which has quietly grown: multiple A1200s, including one with a PiStorm32-lite and CM4, two A500s, an A600 with a PiStorm16, an A4000, an A3000, the recapped CD32 from my youth, 2 MiSTer setups, Greaseweazle floppy hardware, and FS-UAE on the Mac. The third layer, and the most important one, is community testing on machines I do not own: different ROM revisions, accelerator cards, unusual RTG cards, and edge-case network setups. The iron rule from day one has been that a hardware feature is not finished when the tests pass. It is finished when it has actually booted on real silicon. If a newcomer bought their very first Amiga or PiStorm-equipped machine tomorrow, what setup would you recommend and why? An A1200 with a PiStorm32-lite and a CM4. For me, that is the sweet spot and probably the most bang for the buck you can get in the Amiga world right now. You still get the real Amiga hardware and keyboard-computer feel, but with fast RAM, RTG graphics over HDMI, Wi-Fi, and modern storage that does not feel fragile. On top of that I would recommend AmigaOS 3.2, a 1280x720 RTG Workbench, Roadshow for networking, and a WHDLoad collection. Amiga Imager pregenerates the iGame list, so the games are simply there on first boot. I would also tell people to install IMP3 and join our Amiga Germany channel there. It is a very friendly place, and for newcomers especially it helps a lot to have other users around when the first questions come up. And once you are hooked, and you probably will be, go buy the machine you actually dreamed about when you were younger. That part I cannot automate for you. Looking at the Amiga scene today, what developments excite you the most? Is there a particular hardware or software project you think deserves more attention? The pace of Emu68 is astonishing. Michal Schulz has effectively given classic Amigas a very modern engine room. The FPGA side excites me as well, because MiSTer keeps maturing and there is something genuinely wonderful about old chips being faithfully reborn in new logic. I also have a soft spot for the smaller independent hardware makers, the people behind things like PicoWiFy, the Freeway USB cards, AmiGUS, P-Vision from Oliver Achten, or A314CP. Those are often one-person or very small- scale projects that quietly expand what these machines can do. If anything in the scene deserves more attention, it is exactly that kind of work. A lot of the Amiga ecosystem still runs on one person building one useful thing really well and then sharing it. Amiga Imager has grown from an image-building utility into a broader toolkit. Where do you see the project heading over the next year or two? I am not following some grand master plan with it. Most of the time I am just trying to build what feels natural and what actually makes sense as the next step. If users keep running into the same friction point on the Mac side, I usually take that as a sign that Amiga Imager should probably solve it. So over the next year or two, I want to keep widening hardware coverage as testers bring me configurations I do not own and make the overall experience more approachable, including a proper multilingual interface starting with German. If you look at the broader direction, the goal is fairly simple: I would like Amiga Imager to become a real one-stop shop for everything Amiga on a modern Mac. Have you learned anything unexpected about classic Amiga hardware, filesystems, or operating systems while developing Amiga Imager? Constantly, and honestly that is half the fun. A few favorites come to mind. Amiga filenames are ISO Latin-1 rather than UTF-8, and things break in subtle ways the moment you forget that. AmigaDOS will not run a script unless its sprotection bit is set, so a Mac-side tool has to know that or the script simply fails silently. And then there are the truly strange filesystem edge cases. One block of scsi.device happened to begin with exactly the wrong four bytes, my reader "helpfully" repaired something that was not actually broken, and only a real Amiga's boot ROM could see the damage. Every one of those bugs cost me a night and taught me something no amount of documentation ever would have. Finally, if you could add one feature, capability, or improvement to the Amiga ecosystem overnight with no technical limitations, what would it be? A fully open, legally unencumbered Kickstart and OS. So much of what makes Amiga setup hard, both for users and for people writing tools, comes down to the licensing archaeology around the ROMs and Workbench. Every Amiga Imager user has to bring their own Kickstart, and a surprising number of design decisions exist purely to work around that constraint. If I could wave a wand, I would conjure an open ROM and OS lineage that the whole community could ship, improve, and build on. Overnight, half the friction in the retro-Amiga world would disappear.
TopCONTENTSPawel Tukatsch / Awesome Games - Orbital Mission Interview
Talkingamiga ============================================================================ Interview: Pawel Tukatsch / Awesome Games - Orbital Mission ============================================================================ Pawel, thank you for taking the time to talk to us! Orbital Mission has a spectacular sci-fi premise, but behind the scenes, theres an interesting history. We understand this project actually started because of a request from an Amiga community member, Patrick Skacel (grafpatrick), to remake a highly specific 1987 game called Emetic Skimmer. What was it about that request, or that original 1987 shooter, that made you say, "Yes, I need to build a whole new engine for this"? Pawel tukinem Tukatsch: Hello everyone, and thank you for your interest in the game. Patrick loves the game *Emetic Skimmer*. Of course, I hadn't heard of it before, since it's not very popular. The first time I played it, it seemed very poor to me, with awful controls and incredibly strange game physics. It seemed as if it had been written by some amateur in Amos. However, it dawned on me that in 1987, neither Amos nor Blitz Basic existed yet. Patrick, of course, told me a lot about this game and recorded himself playing through it for me. I gave it another try. It turned out to be very addictive and very cleverly designed, but in order to create a remake, I had to improve our ship's movement, change the graphics, and add animations so that the game would be better than the original. For the full physical release of Orbital Mission via the Komoda & Amiga Plus store, youve done something incredibly cool: Disk 1 contains the brand-new game, but Disk 2 features the original Emetic Skimmer levels running on your modern Orbital Mission engine. You mentioned you had to tweak those classic levels slightly to actually make them possible to complete. What was fundamentally broken or brutally difficult about the 1987 original design that required a modern touch? Pawel: When writing the Orbital Mission engine, I tailored it to the levels of Emetic Skimmer from the very beginning. First, I adapted it for Level 1, then I added adjustments to make it compatible with the subsequent levels. In Emetic Skimmer, enemy turrets are divided into zones, so to speak. If you destroy the last remaining turret in a given zone, the play area clears with a graphical effect. In Orbital Mission, I did away with these zones. Destroying each enemy turret triggers a one-time destruction effect on the map. Sometimes the turret simply disappears, and in other cases, part of the map vanishes. In Emetic Skimmer, after firing a shot, we could steer it by moving our ship. It was very strange, but necessary to complete the penultimate level. In Orbital Mission, the missile flies at a constant speed. We can even outpace it. We have no control over its flight path, so I had to modify that level at that specific spot. In other areas, the changes are more cosmetic, such as eliminating collisions on low-resolution graphics. We are thrilled to have your long-time demoscene collaborator, Marcin (Eightbm), joining the interview as well! You two have built a reputation in the scene. Marcin, when scoring a game like Orbital Mission that pits the "Commodore civilization" against "Atari," how do you approach the music? Did you explicitly try to lean into a classic Amiga tracker sound, and what limitations did you place on yourself to keep it authentic to a standard Amiga 500 setup? Marcin Eightbm Biaobrzewski: When it came to producing the music for Orbital, I had a concept in mind from the start. I knew what the original looked like and that it wouldn't be a dynamic game like Project X, but a space labyrinth with shooter elements. Such a game can't have overly dynamic music; it needs to focus on atmosphere and space. In the '90s, samples from ST-XX disks were popular, and they inspired me to prepare the pads used in this soundtrack. They harken back to that era, when both the demoscene and game development were at their peak. While the music couldn't be too aggressive, I wanted to balance this layer somewhat with sound effects. These, on the other hand, are more aggressive, occasionally breaking through the musical stagnation (mega blaster activated!!! ;) ) and reminding us that this isn't a cute game about "teddy bears and kittens," but a fight for survival in a space where no one can hear your screams ;) Pawel, the game runs beautifully on an unexpanded Amiga 500 (68000 CPU, 0.5 Chip + 0.5 Slow RAM), but you note that having 1 MB of Chip RAM unlocks even richer sound effects. How closely did you and Marcin have to work to manage the limited memory budget between the game code, graphics, and the audio tracker modules? Pawel / Marcin: PAWEL: Marcin and I have been working together for several years now. We get along very well. We've developed our own style, but we're always coming up with something new. I always try to ensure that our games are compatible with the Amiga 500 configuration with slow RAM, and there have also been projects that I've optimized to run on an Amiga 1000 with 256 kB of chip RAM without additional fast RAM. Marcin always has plenty of ideas and is very eager to work. He's created a lot of sound effects for the game to make it more engaging. However, the graphics take up a lot of chip memory, so I decided that the game would load more sound events if we have more chip memory. This is a fairly common approach in many games. We also plan the music together, whether it will be a single file with several loops or multiple files. We try to plan every detail together. MARCIN: It's always a bit of a struggle ;) For as long as I can remember, I've believed the Amiga was the first computer that allowed for full immersion in games. For me, it was a kind of cinematic experience, a state in which I don't feel like I'm playing, but rather become the hero of a cinematic adventure. Music and sound effects are part of the story. Just think of productions like Universe with Martin Iveson's brilliant soundtrack. What would this game be without that music ;) For this reason, I try to make the sound layer interesting and engaging. And as I mentioned, it's always a fight for free space. Every kilobyte counts. With traditional Amiga configurations, it's not at all easy, which is why Pawel and I often have long discussions on this topic :))) Ultimately, compromise and balance win out. We assess what's worth giving up and what we have to get. There's no other way. You have been incredibly prolific on itch.io, releasing Amiga titles ranging from Ramizes to Ami Robbo 2 and Soltys. Looking at Orbital Mission, what were the biggest technical challenges in getting smooth multi-directional scrolling and snappy weapon firing out of the classic OCS hardware? Pawel: In the case of Orbital Mission, this wasn't difficult. The entire map loads into the RAM chip, so there's no problem with scrolling and rendering graphics simultaneously. Unfortunately, this approach consumes a huge amount of chip memory, which is why we couldn't add many more sounds, we'd run out of memory. We had plenty of ideas, though. Rendering graphics on the fly was also out of the question because the map is drawn in its entirety, rather than being composed of tiles, as in most games. Anyone who owns the game *Emetic Skimmer* can easily view the map graphics, which are in IFF ILBM format. For me, it was a pleasure to decode the level data files contained within. It clarified a lot about how the original game works. The narrative of the game has a fantastic, tongue-in-cheek humor about the rivalry between Commodore and Atari. Where did that specific storyline come from, is it born out of genuine nostalgia for the old 80s computer schoolyard wars? Pawel: The lighthearted storyline about the war between Amiga and Atari was just an idea I came up with for the demo version. The storyline for the full version of the game was created jointly by Patrick and Claudia Sassen, a professional writer who goes by the pen name Kalaudia. Whats next for Awesome Games? Now that Orbital Mission is flying out to retro gamers on physical floppy disks, are there any other forgotten Amiga classics you or the community have your eyes on for a modern revival? Pawel: At first, I ported games from other platforms to the Amiga while learning to program. I chose games that I was capable of writing, such as Sokoban, Soltys, or Electroman-games that I felt were missing on the Amiga. Simply reviving Emetic Skimmer wasn't enough and would have raised copyright issues, so I created a separate game. Currently, we're trying to develop games based on our own original ideas. Of course, every game is inspired by some other game, but we try to be inventive and creative. We currently have three games in production that are already quite far along, but they still require a lot of work and time.Topadvertisements
CONTENTS ============================================================================ -= A D V E R T I S E M E N T S =-------------------------------------------- ============================================================================ ****************************************************** | * | Retro8Bit Heaven! * | =========================================== * | All you need for your beloved 8 and 16 bit * | machines. * | * | Cartridges, badges, wearables, full systems * | media, merchandise, boxes, joysticks, games * | and much more! * | * | Check us out at: * | * | * ******************************************************TopWelcome to the links section!
CONTENTS ============================================================================ -= L I N K S =-------------------------------------------------------------- ============================================================================ https://www.amiganews.net/en/ One of the most up to date and comprehensive sources for Amiga news from around the globe. English Amiga Board, the majority of the users are from Europe, a very friendly and helpful Amiga forum. https://www.exxoshost.co.uk The resource if you need help or information about the new Terrible Fire cards. https://www.amibay.com A great place for buying and selling Amiga hardware, they also have some very nice people to give advice about. Of recent it has become very hard to register on the website since their server migration. https://www.amiga.org Probably the longest running Amiga forum on the world wide web, most American Amiga users are on this board. https://www.amigaworld.net Another large Amiga website covering all Amigas, includes news, discussions and classifieds. https://www.amigans.net English Amiga website covering next generation, emulation and classic Amigas. https://www.amigafuture.de The longest running Amiga print magazine, issues are available in English and German. https://www.amiga-addict.com Newest English Amiga print magazine, if you are missing the likes of Amiga Power and Amiga Format, then this is the magazine for you. Commodore and Amiga print magazine avilable in English and Polish. Lots of games content. https://mancave-ramblings.blogspot.com Our own John Scolieri's personal website. ================================================================== If you have a link that you would like added to list contact: submissions@whatiff.info ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Links - WhatIFF? Issue 5.21 - August 2026#TopWelcome to the Amiga vendors section!
CONTENTS ============================================================================ -= A M I G A * V E N D O R * L I N K S =------------------------------------ ============================================================================ ?Alinea https://www.amiga-shop.net ? Amedia Computers openurl ? Amiga 68k http://amiga68k.com ? Amigakit https://amigakit.amiga.store ? Amiga MC1 http://amiga1.com ? Amiga Shop https://www.amigashop.org ? AmigastoreEU https://amigastore.eu ? Amiga on the Lake http://amigaonthelake.com ? Arananet Retro Products https://www.arananet.net/pedidos ? Arcade Shopper https://www.arcadeshopper.com ? BuyElbox http://buy.elbox.com ? Electronics Is Fun https://electronicsisfun.com ? GGS Data http://www.ggsdata.se ? My Amiga Shop https://shop.myamigashop.com ? Relec http://www.relec.ch/fr ? RetroAMI https://retroami.com.pl ? Retro Passion https://www.retropassion.co.uk ? Retro Ready https://retroready.one ? Sell My Retro https://www.sellmyretro.com ? Retro Rewind https://retrorewind.ca ? Sordan https://sordan.ie ? Tindie https://www.tindie.com ? Vesalia https://www.vesalia.de ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Vendor Links - WhatIFF? Issue 5.21 - August 2026#TopWelcome to the Amiga Groups section!
CONTENTS ============================================================================ -= A M I G A * G R O U P * L I N K S =-------------------------------------- ============================================================================ ******************************************************************* * * United Kingdom United States Canada Germany Sweden * * France Belgium Czech Republic Denmark Finland * * Australia Russia Ireland Scotland Malta Japan * * ******************************************************************* ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Topuk
Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ United Kingdom Amiga North Thame http://www.amiganorththames.co.uk/ Birmingham Amiga Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/BhamAmigaGroup/ LINCS Amiga Group (LAG) http://lincsamiga.org.uk/ Norwich Amiga Group https://norwichamigagroup.co.uk/ North West Amiga User Group http://www.bambi-amiga.co.uk/spudmiga/nwag/index.html Kickstart Amiga User Group https://www.kickstartamigagroup.org.uk/ South West Amiga Group http://www.southwestamiga.org.uk/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Topusa
Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ USA Sacramento Amiga Computer Club http://www.sacc.org/ Central Texas Amiga Computer Society http://main.org/ctacs Central New York Amiga Computing Enthusiasts https://www.meetup.com/CNY-Amiga-Computing-Enthusiasts Central Texas Commodore Users Group https://www.meetup.com/Central-Texas-Commodore-Users-Group/ Metroplex Commodore Computer Club http://www.amigamccc.org/ Southern California Commodore and Amiga Network http://www.portcommodore.com/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=sccan:start Fresno Commodore User Group http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm Westchester Amiga User Group http://www.westchesteramigausergroup.org/ Amiga Computer Users Long Island https://www.facebook.com/groups/202303702519 Southeast Amiga User Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/SoutheastAmigaUserGroup/ Stamford Peterborough Amiga Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/spaguk The Other Group of Amigoids http://togausergroup.org/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Topcanada
Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ Canada Amiga Computer Users of Edmonton http://www.amicue.org Amiga Users of Calgary http://www.amuc.ab.ca Toronto PET Users Group (TPUG) http://www.tpug.ca * Started in 1979, TPUG is also the operator of the annual World of Commodore computer show. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Topgermany
Usergroups Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ Germany AUCB Treffen http://www.amigaclub-bautzen.de/ Amiga Club Munster http://acmuenster.de/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Topsweden
Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ Sweden Swedish User Group of Amiga http://suga.se/ Amiga Computer Group http://www.amiga-cg.se/ Syntax Society http://www.syntaxsociety.se/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Topfrance
Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ France Triple http://www.triplea.fr/ AFLE http://afle.free.fr/ AmigaPower http://www.amigapower.net/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Topbelgium
Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ Belgium Belgian Amiga Club http://www.amigaclub.be/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Topczech
Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ Czech Republic Luky & Amiga Klub Forever + Czech PowerPC User Group http://powerpc.lukysoft.cz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Topdenmark
Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ Denmark Amiga Club Denmark http://www.amigaclubdanmark.dk/ Danish Amiga User Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/101927439851660 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Topfinland
Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ Finland Finnish Amiga Users Group http://saku.amigafin.org/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Topaustralia
Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ Australia Sydney Amiga Users Group http://www.saug.org.au Amiga Users Group https://www.amiga.net.au/ MAUG https://www.facebook.com/groups/MAUGr/ Perth Amiga User Group (PAUG) https://www.facebook.com/groups/perthamigausergroup/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Toprussia
Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ Russia Amiga Information Center (AIC) http://amiga.org.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Topireland
Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ Ireland Amiga Ireland Meetup https://www.facebook.com/groups/amigaireland ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Topscotland
Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ Scotland Scottish Amiga User Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/626138110921245 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Topmalta
Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ Malta Amiga Malta https://www.facebook.com/groups/amigamalta ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#Top---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF? Issue 5.21 - August 2026#japan
Amigagroups ============================================================================ Amiga Group Links ============================================================================ Japan Commodore / Amiga Fan Club Japan http://cfc.amiga.co.jp/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Amiga Group Links - WhatIFF?#TopCover Disk Contents
CONTENTS ============================================================================ -= August 2026 Cover Disk Contents =----------------------------------------- ============================================================================ * PDF Disk Label * Updated Music Playlist MODsTopMeet the writing staff of WhatIFF?
CONTENTS ============================================================================= -= W R I T I N G * S T A F F =----------------------------------------------- ============================================================================= WhatIFF? is an independent magazine created by Amiga enthusiasts from around the world looking for a more serious magazine. The main writers at the moment are a small group but hope to grow in coming issues. * Main Writing Staff * Andy Vaisey ByteBandit Ivan Sorensen John Scolieri Kevin Saunders Kristian GK Martyn Bampton Roald Strauss Rob O'Malley Steve Lord Timo Paul Tristan Shiflett We are always interested in new articles, guides or stories, if you have something you wish to submit please send it to: submissions@whatiff.info ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #Writing Staff - WhatIFF? Issue 5.21 - August 2026#Topandyvaisey
Writers ============================================================================ Name: Andy Vaisey ============================================================================ Aliases: aNdy/AL/COS (EAB) Contact info: andyvaisey@whatiff.info Websites: www.cosine.org.uk www.arkanixlabs.com ============================================================================= Bio:Toptimopaul
Writers ============================================================================ Name: Timo Paul ============================================================================ Aliases: amifan (EAB) Contact info: timopaul@whatiff.info Websites: www.whatiff.info www.binarybeats.xyz ============================================================================= Bio: My journey with the Amiga started in either '87/'88 when the family got an A500 (Back then it was a computer for the whole family), I remember the monitor and A500 boxes almost being as high as myself. Before this time I had only been exposed to the ZX Spectrum and C64, using the blue Workbench for the first time was an amazing experience. When I saw DigiPaint in action I could not believe my eyes. From that moment I was a devoted Amiga user going through various Amigas, A500+A570, A600, A3000 and A1200. Over the years my Amiga has been used to creating digital artwork and for making or shall I say trying to make music. Then in the year 2021 I decided for some crazy reason that the Amiga scene needed a digital magazine similar to Amiga Report. It was my intention to have something that picked up where the great Amiga magazines such as Amiga World and Amazing Computing left off, providing a more serious look at Amiga usage through tutorials and reviews.Topstevelord
Writers ============================================================================ Name: Steve Lord ============================================================================ Aliases: stevelord (EAB) Contact info: stevelord@whatiff.info Websites: www.thedorkweb.substack.com ============================================================================ Bio: Steve enjoys doing impossible things on his Amiga 4000 and CDTV. Whether it's using his CDTV for email, playing Internet radio through his bluetooth speakers from his Amiga 4000, or talking to the world via the ISS from either. If people say the Amiga couldn't do it, he's probably looking for a way to do it. Steve writes his WhatIFF articles mostly using Arnor ProText.Topjohnscolieri
Writers ========================================================================== Name: John Scolieri ========================================================================== Aliases: klx300r (EAB) 328gts (amigans.net) aGS@C64_AMIGA (Twitter) Contact info: johnscolieri@whatiff.info Websites: mancave-ramblings.blogspot.com ========================================================================== Bio: Like many Amiga users my first computer addiction was the mighty Commodore 64! One day close to Christmas of 1986 I drove to my local Commodore store called Comspec...I was in high school and played rep hockey at the time and didn't have the time I used to when I was in grade school to visit Comspec each weekend to check out the latest magazine and games. Imagine my surprise when I stepped into the store and immediately in front of me was THE AMIGA! It was looping the Defender of The Crown intro and I fell in love instantly! From that day on it was my mission to buy that Amiga but I had just worked a few part time jobs to help pay for my first ever used car and didn't have a hundred bucks to my name lol. The Amiga was close to $2,000 Canadian dollars (after taxes) and unlike my C64 my parents didn't fall for the 'I need it for school' rant again. To (try) to make a very long story short I didn't save up to buy my Amiga until I started University in 1989. In the mean time I saw another Amiga called the Amiga 500 at Comspec and it was a lot cheaper than THE AMIGA but my eyes and heart and soul were only set on THE AMIGA! When I finally bought it that was the proudest/happiest moment I've ever felt and I jumped straight into University with Excellence! word processor and Logistix spreadsheet/ database. In my 2nd year I bought my first ever hard drive, a whopping 33MB which had its own case which sat atop my Amiga 1000 case. Later fast ram side cars showed up and I mingled with Manx Aztec C compiler in computer science class. Of course all the great games with awesome music/sound effects made my Apple/PC friends envious! By my 3rd year we had a small Amiga computer club and a few of us got our first accelerator boards for our Amiga which was called LUCAS and was based on a design in a Transactor magazine. It had a 68020 at 16 MHz with FPU on it and it really helped out with the more complicated spreadsheets and compiling programs. Life was good, the internet was just starting up, I graduated University and got my first full time job and then the bad news of Commodore going bankrupt hit the newspapers, magazines, and BBS boards! There was so much activity going on still in user groups and computer stores so us Amiga users just figured that it would sort itself out. At work there were only PC's running AutoCAD and I despised using the early Windows systems and couldn't wait to get back home to my Amiga. Over the years busy with work and 'adult life' many of my Amiga friends moved on to PCs and I ended up getting my first Amiga 1200 and later Amiga 4000 for great prices. I was still amazed how the Amiga community was still active and so helpful up to the early 2000's. By then I was married and working harder than ever to save up to buy a home instead of renting an apartment and my Amiga's were left at my parents house until around 2010 or so I read about a brand new Amiga which was coming out based on PPC CPU called the AmigaONE X1000 running a new AmigaOS4. I was skeptical at first after hearing about the technical issues with the earlier SE, XE boards with the initisal AmigaOS4 release but after consulting with some friends I joined the beta test team to get one of the first X1000 boards and I immediately felt at home with AmigaOS4.1 and have used it as my home Amiga ever since. Once I got some space set up in my house I got my Amiga's out of my parents house finally and eventually my original Amiga 1000 sits next to my AmigaONE X1000 and original C64 and of course my Amiga 1200 and 4000 came along too and with new accelerator cards and ram boards and spare motherboards and parts etc etc etc. Here I am today grateful to the Amiga computer and especially to the amazing Amiga community who back then and today has always been resilient, creative and helpful !Topkevinsaunders
Writers ============================================================================ Name: Kevin Saunders ============================================================================ Aliases: Invent (EAB) Contact info: kevinsaunders@whatiff.info Websites: www.patreon.com/KevinSaunders www.youtube.com/KevinSaunders www.twitter.com/invent71 www.instagram.com/invent71/ www.ko-fi.com/kevinsaunders ============================================================================ Bio: My journey with the Amiga started around 1988, The first time seeing the Amiga 1000 in the shop window playing animations such as the Amiga Juggler I fondly remember. My Brother and I saved up for an A500, and eventually bought an A4000 (cybervision 64 card) and then an A1200 with an 030 accelerator. I loved collecting every Amiga Magazine with demo disks. My interest in game designing for the Amiga started with deluxe paint and I did dabble with The Miracle Keyboard but that skill in music didn't last. It is because of the Amiga that I now work in video animation and game design.Topivansorensen
Writers ============================================================================ Name: Ivan Sorensen ============================================================================ Aliases: Weasel Fierce Contact info: ivansorensen@whatiff.info Websites: everydayamiga.posthaven.com ============================================================================ Bio: Danish Amiga fan since the 90s. Started with a 1200 and a 1200 is my machine today. I am interested in the casual and the philosophical aspects of the Amiga computer. My cats enjoy Turrican.Toprobomalley
Writers ============================================================================ Name: Rob O'Malley ============================================================================ Aliases: anaki rob Mr.Roboto Contact info: anakirob@whatiff.info Websites: systemofsound.org ============================================================================ Bio: Rob has been making music on Amiga ever since in the mid to late 90's his guitar teacher suggested that he get a drum machine to practice along to, and he instead opted to use OctaMED on his Amiga 500+ with A590 to craft beats and basslines Favourite quote: '...all she wanted to do was play with my ears all night' :PToproaldstrauss
Writers ============================================================================ Name: Roald Strauss ============================================================================ Aliases: MisthaLu, Mr.Lou Contact info: E-mail: mr_lou@dewfall.dk Discord: MisthaLu IRC: MisthaLu or mr_lou Websites: www.8bitMemoirs.com www.IndieGameMusic.com ============================================================================ Bio: I was introduced to the Amstrad CPC464 at age 10, and had a great childhood because of all the BASIC coding I could do. I am also a musician. And when I discovered I could program my Amstrad to play music, by inputting tons and tons of DATA lines, things became even more interesting. When everyone left the Amstrad CPC in favour of either the PC or Amiga, I stayed with my trusty CPC464 - until a couple of mates lured me over to the Amiga many years later. Since no one ever introduced me to options like AMOS or Blitz Basic, it sadly meant that my coding days were over - for a period of time anyway. Instead, I used my Amiga 600 for lots and lots of Protracker MOD creations. From 2012 to 2017 I wrote "8-bit Memoirs", which is a semi biography about those good old days. Download from www.8bitMemoirs.com (Use a download tool so you can resume).Topjman
Writers ============================================================================ Name: Contributing writer Jman ============================================================================ Aliases: Jman Contact info: Websites: ============================================================================ Bio: Article submission metadata: Date: 20260309 Author: Jman License: CC BY-SA 4.0TopTristanshiflett
Writers ============================================================================ Name: Tristan Shiflett ============================================================================ Aliases: Manical Contact info: Discord: Manical#1992 / manical90 Websites: manical.neocities.org ============================================================================ Bio: Manical started making music for the Amiga in early 2021 (December) and has released at some demoparties, and is planning to go to more along the way. He's in the demogroups MoonShine and Hokuto Force as a musician, and soon to be a coder or graphician. He started out with Protracker for his first 3 mods, then moved to FastTracker primarily, and then he started exploring Impulse Tracker and started making tracks with Furnace. His songs have gotten good reviews by many famous people in the demoscene, such as Jammer, Purple Motion, Skaven, and cTrix (Most known for his gAtari). Since his music journey, he's entered Syntax 2021, Mysdata 2022, Boozedrome VI (Which his track that he entered ended up on the official Boozedrome tape which was limited to 50 copies). Favorite quote: 'You see, we are here, as far as I can tell, to help each other; our brothers, our sisters, our friends, our enemies. That is to help each other and not hurt each other.'Topmartynbampton
Writers ============================================================================ Name: Martyn Bampton ============================================================================ Aliases: Contact info: mbampton@whatiff.info Websites: ============================================================================ Bio: Like a lot of us I got my first computers during the late 80s and 90s, an exciting time for home computer owners. It seemed like every week brought something new and there were loads of computers and accessories to choose from. If you had the budget ;) My family had a Spectrum and then a BBC Micro but *my* first computer was an Amiga 500, all generous hand-me-downs from my uncle. I did play games of course - Lemmings, Pinball Dreams and Stunt Car Racer spring to mind but I also loved messing about in Deluxe Paint, eventually becoming half decently productive. I never had a console and I was never interested in truth, actually I don't think I really played on a console until my friend got a Playstation. An A500 Plus came next and then in March 93 I upgraded to an A1200 with a "huge" 80 MB harddisk! It was with the A1200 and its harddisk that I was really able to get into productive computing as well as enjoying the new AGA specific games. I loved Animating with Deluxe Paint 4, I knew Wordworth inside and out got into generating fractal landscapes with VistaPro and 3D rendering with Real 3D. I would spend countless hours in Workbench, setting it up just the way I liked, I made my own icons very much inspired by MagicWB. Soon enough I need more performance and added a Blizzard IV, Squirrel SCSI and CDROM and I figured out how to make an RGB cable for my specific telly. Still... After Commodore went bankrupt and the chances of a successor to the A1200 evaporated I saved up and was able to buy a secondhand A4000 complete with 1942 monitor. The A4000 was amazing, even more so when I loaded it with a Cyberstorm Mk-III and a Cybervision 64/3D (with scandoubler) and maxed out the RAM. I had a eventually got a 17" monitor and ran Workbench in an unimaginably spacious resolution - compared to 640 x 512 anyway. By this time I was a long time loyal Amiga fan and enjoyed simply upgrading and pushing the limits, way beyond anything my younger self could have imagined. My A1200 was rehoused in an Infinitiv tower case and even ran Linux, launched from within Workbench. My A4000 spent some time as a Mac thanks to ShapeShifter and was my first computer to go online with a 56K modem! I knew I was fortunate to have these computers and upgrades and it was hard to leave them behind when I left the country. It's funny. Years pass, you forget things - you don't even realise you miss things and then someone releases a Mini A500 thingum and you start watching retro channels. Soon you end up on eBay and a week or two later you boot up an A500 for the first time in... Let's say a while. I kept nearly all of my Amiga gear, all apart from the very first A500 and A500 Plus. I was able to collect everything from my childhood home where it had been mostly stored safely all this time and bring it back with me. Now I have them again I hope to share my experiences with repairing, restoring and upgrading them with modern stuff over the coming months and years, maybe my trusty A4000 will boot once more! It was an amazing time to experience and I'm glad I can do so again with a fresh perspective.Topkristiangk
Writers ============================================================================ Name: Kristian GK ============================================================================ Aliases: Contact info: kristian@whatiff.info Websites: ============================================================================ Bio:
