Amiga has released an article describing its application launcher AmiDock in AmigaOS4. The article originally appeared in the March issue of Club Amiga Magazine. This description is meant as an addition to the AmigaOS4 feature list. Note however that the default appearance of AmigaOS4 is yet to be revealed.
> Note however that the default appearance of AmigaOS4 is
> yet to be revealed.
Earlier GUI screenshots of AmigaOS4 can be found here:
http://os.amiga.com/os4/OS4GUIPre.php
These screenshots demonstrate many of OS4’s customization options. The actual default and polished GUI designed by well respected Amiga artists is unlike what can be seen within these screenshots.
Every time I see screen shot for Amiga 4, I want to puke. Pig mute, greyish colors that don’t combine well with so many textures in the windows and backgrounds, I can’t ell what it is I’m supposed to be looking at. That cannot be a productive work environment.
If they want to show functionality, etc., clean up the GUI.
Vic
They still want to keep alive an agony platform, just like some doctors try to keep alive people in coma, at every cost.
I think it’s time for OCPE 🙂
OCPE = Old Computing Platforms Euthanasia
> If they want to show functionality, etc., clean up the
> GUI.
They have done so, however they aren’t showing you this yet. There are several reasons for this.
The old-style grey GUI originates from 1990 (AmigaOS2.0) and was IMO the best one available for its time. Now its obsolete and therefor will be very much enhanced. The idea is that you should be able to make AmigaOS look like anything you want when everything is implemented.
“The old-style grey GUI originates from 1990 (AmigaOS2.0) and was IMO the best one available for its time.”
It is still very functional. If you are just looking at a screen shot, you may say “Boring, old fashioned”. When you are actually working in a program – for example laying out track and index marks for an audio CD (what is on the screen now) – it is straightforward and easy to work with, without distracting eye candy.
When I finally get a copy of OS 4, I plan to make it look as plain as possible. Don’t want brushed metal effects, blue gradients, translucent popup menus, unidentified buttons that look like beads …..
You mean IF I finally get a copy of OS 4 ….. in the years to come.
Most certainly NOT this year.
> Most certainly NOT this year.
Please elaborate, I don’t believe you know something I or Hyperion developers don’t.
Maybe I’m just not getting this but I’ve read a lot of articles on AmigaOS on here in the past year…
This is a PPC OS so it won’t run on PCs.. and it won’t run on Macs either… and it won’t run on old amiga hardware unless its seriously updated with a new processor and RAM…
…and there are very few manufacturers of PPC motherboards.. and they cost a fortune compared to x86 hardware and are pathetic ( 600mhz, non-upgradeable and don’t give me that cr*p about a G3 being p4-class….. )
..and there are no off-the-shelf software products for it, and because of the structure of the AmigaOS porting from other platforms is just about impossible. ( allegedly )
So who the hell is going to use it?
> and it won’t run on old amiga hardware unless its
> seriously updated with a new processor and RAM…
There already are a few thousand people owning Cyberstorm (and Blizzard) PPC accelerators for classic Amigas. However instead of upgrading your classic Amiga, the new AmigaOne systems are much cheaper and poweful, so a far more satisfying and clean solution.
> 600mhz, non-upgradeable
Incorrect, the currently available AmigaOne-XE boards have a 800 Mhz G4 and the boards are upgradable. For example dual 1,3 Ghz AmigaOne-XE solutions are currently being tested.
> So who the hell is going to use it?
I believe you will find the answers to most of your questions within Alan’s recently held presentation.
http://amigaworld.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=355
“You mean IF I finally get a copy of OS 4 ….. in the years to come.
Most certainly NOT this year.”
I am not personally planning on buying any new computers this year. I have too many already.
I have late next year pencilled in as a time to possibly buy a new Amiga. By then I would expect OS 4 to be on a second release (OS 4.2 or whatever).
Like most OS projects, this one seems to have taken forever, but it really does look like it is at last nearing “completion”. By which I mean public demonstrations and final beta testing. The timing of a full commercial release would depend on whether any intractable bugs turn up in the testing.
…it was actually published? In print? Does Club Amiga Magazine not have any proofreaders?
“This description is meant as addition”
Should be “an addition”.
“For first impressions about the new functionalities, please have a read in the mentioned document.”
I’m not even sure what he’s trying to say here. What mentioned document? There’s no link in the article. I suspect that should be “You can find more information on the other new functionalities in the aforementioned document.”
“OS4’s AmiDock allows to be configured by the user in a very high degree.”
Ugh. Should be more along the lines of “The version of AmiDock included in OS4 allows users to customize it to a great degree.”
That’s just the first three sentences. The rampant grammatical errors (basic things like it’s/its confusion), along with the use of internet acronyms (“BTW”) and smileys, leaves one with the feeling that they have just read hastily-written Email, not a purportedly professionally-written article.
Stefan Robl is the German programmer, his mistakes make his article more genuine.
>and because of the structure of the AmigaOS porting from other platforms is just about impossible. ( allegedly )
According to whom? I would be interested in reading more about that issue.
We maintain Amiga and Windoze versions of our game “Worm Wars”, there is no problem with porting. AmigaOS is MUCH easier to code for than Windoze.
I would say it’s more likely the other way around. Many Amiga software titles are (often partly) written in assembler and sometimes in languages largely unique to the Amiga platform (AmigaE, AMOS, Blitz). This makes porting software to other platforms very difficult.
Hower almost all software written for the mainstream platforms (PS2, Windows, Mac, etc) are written in platform non-specific high level languages. So porting to alternative platforms, including AmigaOS would be relatively easy.
“…it was actually published? In print? Does Club Amiga Magazine not have any proofreaders?”
Actually it is an on-line magazine.
Every time I see screen shot for Amiga 4, I want to puke. Pig mute, greyish colors that don’t combine well with so many textures in the windows and backgrounds, I can’t ell what it is I’m supposed to be looking at. That cannot be a productive work environment.
Oh, come on, can’t you read? Those screenshots are intended as proof-of-concept, nothing else. And they write that, too.
Everyone, including every current Amiga user, finds those screenshots horrible to look at. But they’re not there to illustrate eye-candy, only to illustrate the possibility to add eye-candy. And they’re made by a programmer. We all know that programmers A) have no taste, and B) don’t use the GUI in any case.
If you really think that the OS will ship looking even remotely like that, you’re underestimating the Amiga community, which still has a fair share of rather competent graphicians. They’re just not in the picture just yet.
I don’t think you can call the A1XE “currently available” with a straight face any more than the A1SE. When a person is grovelling on a web forum to try and get hardware they ordered last November, that is not “currently available” to me.
Even assuming the supply problems are over (which I very much doubt) there is a four month backlog to deal with before you can talk about “currently available”. So far Alan has claimed to be able to handle 50 boards per day, but the reality has been more like 50 per month.
Yes they are currently available. Everyone who really wanted an A1SE board, would have one by now. However the bulk of the Amiga community wants an AmigaOne-XE board and thus the demand (thousands) has been higher than its delivery, for example just like the Pegasos.
These are the recent results from a poll from Amigart:
Which PPC Motherboard ?
Amiga One G3 SE 3.11% (93)
Amiga One XE G3/G4 63.31% (1895)
Pegasos G3/G4 26.70% (799)
None Of Them 2.24% (67)
Shark PPC G3/G4 PCI 4.64% (139)
Anyone that has ever programmed or ported x86 apps to PowerPC or vice a versa will see the inherent shortcomings of the x86 processors and their inflexibility when porting to them or from them.
Please ppl think before you speak. Its not viable to make OS4 x86 capable. Its a very obsolete architecture to begin with. I really don’t care how many Ghz you throw at it, its still just a reconditioned typewriter. Many of its shortcomings from the 80s are still around, and the makeup of its basic core design still makes it very inefficient cpu.
Visit this page for a few opinions on why x86 endian problems, really just plain and simply blow chunks!
http://os.amiga.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1640&start=15
>We all know that programmers A) have no taste, and B) don’t use the GUI in any case.<
Hey!