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Personal Computing On An Amiga In 2021

Tales From The Dork Web #30

[7]Steve Lord
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Solène created a week-long [8]personal computing challenge around old
computers. I chose to use an Amiga for the week. In this issue I write
about my experience, and what modern computing lost when Commodore
died. I also want to show some of the things you can do with an Amiga
or even an emulator if you'd like to try.

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As I keep telling my partner, Amigas aren’t an addiction, they’re just
a very expensive hobby.

IFRAME:
[10]https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/roASIL7G7XE?rel=0&autoplay=0
&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

This issue’s music comes from [11]H0ffman and The Black Lotus’ Eon
demo. Press play and read on, although you really should watch the demo
at some point. It's amazing how they crammed so much into two floppy
disks. It's even more amazing how this runs on an OCS A500 with 1Mb of
RAM. Eon rinses every spare scanline to deliver high art on a machine
using chips from the green screen text era. TBL wrote a [12]blog post
series explaining how it was done.

Legends Never Die

Friends, acquaintances and random people often ask me, “What is the
greatest computer range of all time and why is it the Commodore
Amiga?”. Of course I don’t wait for them to ask me. I just shout out
reasons why the Amiga is the best from across the street. Some might
say Amiga owners are the original computing fan-boys. I think that’d be
insulting to Commodore 64 owners. Still, there’s something about the
Amiga that resonates with me in ways modern computing doesn’t.

Although Commodore died in 1994 the Amiga itself became a zombie
platform for a while. For the longest time the Amiga was going to come
back with a vengeance any day now, until it didn’t. It kind of turned
into a joke until one day the joke was forgotten. This is mostly down
to long-running, pointless and unhelpful legal disputes.
CoffinOS on WinUAE running a selection of apps while playing an MP3

But every day thousands of people still use Amigas to create, code and
play. I’m just one of them. For a dead platform with a dead OS there’s
a remarkable amount activity. New hardware, software, games and
Operating Systems are coming out all the time.

Hyperion released AmigaOS 3.2 a couple of months ago. My copy arrived
at the same time as Solène’s challenge. AmigaOS 3.2 is the latest
version of the official Amiga Operating System, hot on the heels of
2019’s AmigaOS 3.1.4.1. AmigaOS 3.2 is the 3rd major OS release for the
Amiga this year after NetBSD 9.2 and Debian Linux.

Amiga users realised that Cloanto, A-EON and Hyperion’s legal fighting
won’t bring the Amiga back. They built their own toys and the Amiga’s
future has never been brighter.

WinUAE, Amiga Forever, Amiberry and Pimiga provide easy ways to use
Amiga software. New systems like the FPGA-based MiSTer and the Vampire
Standalone provide excellent compatibility. eBay prices can be
eyewatering but upgrades are cheaper and better than ever before. The
[13]Pistorm is an all-in-one accelerator, RAM, storage and graphics
card for low-end Amigas. The upcoming [14]Buffee accelerator promises
equivalent 68040 CPU speeds of up to 400Mhz and a Gigabyte of RAM.

Trying Amiga OS 3.2

In hindsight, installing a new OS from scratch wasn’t the best starting
point for Solène’s challenge. I spent more time installing and
configuring than using my Amiga 4000. It has a Motorola 68060 CPU
running at 55Mhz, 352Gb of storage, full 1080P HD graphics, 16-bit
sound, Ethernet and USB 2.0. For the challenge I took the RAM down from
658Mb to 386Mb. Everything I've done here would be doable on an Amiga
500 with a Pistorm, or [15]TerribleFire board and a [16]Plipbox.

The biggest lie this machine tells you is that it’s a modern computer.
It’s nearly 30 years old and I have more powerful kitchen appliances.
Most of the time you wouldn’t notice the age. The difference between my
1992 Amiga 4000 and 1982 ZX Spectrum is far greater than between my
Amiga 4000 and a modern PC on the same desk.

IFRAME:
[17]https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/0732yqmAXYw?rel=0&autoplay=0
&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

Amigabill runs through 13 new AmigaOS 3.2 features he likes. Most are
quality-of-life improvements that already existed with third-party
tools in some form. Coming from Amiga OS 3.9, by far the biggest
difference is speed. Amiga OS 3.2 flies thanks to it’s 3.1 heritage.
Amiga OS 3.9 built on Amiga OS 3.5, and both are bloaty (by Amiga
standards). At the time they were stepping stones to a PPC-powered
future. Unfortunately that future never fully arrived.

The install had minor problems but I got there in the end. I installed
[18]BestClassicWB as I prefer OS 3.9’s look. I added speech and Fat95
handlers, Eastern to generate icon thumbnails and WarpDT WebP and PSD
Datatypes. Datagubbe saved me the trouble of detailing more of [19]the
little things that made the Amiga great. As Icons, Handlers and
Datatypes are some of the greatest things we lost from Amiga OS, I’ll
break them down here.

Icons and .info

AmigaOS elegantly handles file metadata through .info files. These
manage permissions and associations (called default tools). They
provide something like localised environment variables called Tool
types. Folders, files and even devices can have .info files, as shown
in the screenshot above. In Amiga OS 3.2 Default icons are stored in
ENVARC:Sys. These provide default settings for files lacking icons.

Icons are separate to the files they're associated with. As such the
Amiga lacks a native thumbnail concept. 3rd-party tools like
[20]Eastern generate thumbnail icons for files that lack them.

Devices, Handlers and Assigns

Amiga OS uses a pluggable filesystem model. To add support for a new
filesystem, you install a handler and create a mountlist. The handler
describes the filesystem to AmigaOS. A mountlist is a text file
describing a physical device (e.g. CD0 for a CD) that specifies a
handler.

This lets an expanded 1985-era Amiga 1000 use modern filesystems like
FAT32 and NTFS. For example, I read DVDs using AllegroCDFS. DVDs only
came into existence two years after Commodore’s bankruptcy.

Amiga devices have both physical and logical names. The physical name
usually refers to a device e.g. DF0: for the first physical drive, DF1:
for second etc. Disk content would neither know nor care which drive it
was in, so a logical volume name (e.g. NComm:) is used.
Logical Volumes, directories and device assignments on my A4000

Logical volume names can be assigned to folders. Multiple folders can
be assigned to the same logical volume such as LIBS: in the screenshot
above. This functions like a path. The NComm tool doesn’t care where it
lives, it just looks for NComm: and finds what it needs.

Two devices not commonly used in many modern systems are RAM: and RAD:.
Imagine a mega-fast temporary disk drive that doubles whenever you kill
Slack. That’s RAM: which is great for working with file archives. RAD:
is a fixed-size bootable RAM disk that survives soft reboots.
Equivalents exist for most modern Operating Systems. They’re worth
trying out. You don’t really know how useful they are till you lose
them.

Datatypes

Some of the best Amiga software came out over 30 years ago, long before
modern file formats came out. While the Amiga introduced many
standards, the native formats aren’t as common today. Datatypes bring
modern formats to old Amigas.
Multiview accessing (clockwise from top left) a text (m3u) file, a jpeg
picture, an AmigaGuide cheat collection, a GIF while playing w96.aif,
an AIFF audio file. Like OSX Preview but from 1992.

Like filesystem handlers, Datatypes describe a file format and tell the
OS how to handle it. Any datatype-aware program can use any file format
as long as a relevant datatype is present. Commodore introduced
Multiview in Workbench 3.0. This is a bit like Mac OS Preview, but from
1992.

AmigaOS 3.2 comes with datatypes for modern formats like Jpeg and PNG
files. Oliver Roberts’ [21]WarpDT datatypes provide support for
Photoshop PSD files and Google’s WebP. Datatypes exist for Microsoft
Word, Canon CR2 Raw Photos, as well as more obscure formats like the
C64 Koala screen format.

AmigaGuide

Commodore introduced the AmigaGuide hypertext format to provide
developer documentation access. Unlike HTML, AmigaGuide is lightweight
and designed for offline use. Images aren’t embedded in-line but can be
linked to from within a document. Aminet AmigaGuides cover everything
from Star Trek episodes to [22]The Ultimate German Potato guide.

Using My Amiga For Personal Computing

During the week I used my Amiga for various things, but I don’t do
personal computing every day. Amigas can do email but it’s not worth
setting up just for a week. I normally write in Protext and WordWorth
but spent most of the week getting to know Amiga OS 3.2’s TextEdit.

Web browsing on the Amiga is possible, but modern sites aren’t fun to
use. [23]IBrowse 2.5 last updated this April supports modern HTTPS and
even some Javascript. NetSurf, while slow supports CSS and modern JS.

There are also things I did on Amiga OS 3.9 that I haven’t got round to
setting up yet. For example, I normally use Stunnel, ZNC and Bitlbee to
access Telegram, Slack and Mastodon. I use Newscoaster to catch up on
public and private Usenet servers. I enjoy playing with Vista and
Lightwave. I fix up photos with ImageFX, Photogenics and Art Effect. I
even made an anim version of the [24]Bad Apple Touhou video solely
using the Amiga.

I spent the week off Secure Scuttle Butt as I use a Windows-based
client. I didn’t have time beforehand to set up anything more portable.
In the week I modelled COVID stats with Turbo Calc, listened to mods
with EaglePlayer and BBC Radio 6 Music with Amiga AMP.
Earlier version of my COVID tracking sheet

I use a Creative BT-W2 USB-Bluetooth soundcard with a bluetooth speaker
on my Thinkpad. It works well as a replacement for the Thinkpad's
terrible speakers. I hooked it up to the Amiga and modtunes started
playing on the speaker. My neighbours may never forgive me.

I’ve toyed with ST Micro’s discovery boards to build retargetable sound
support for the [25]ZX20. I plugged an STM32F407 board running some USB
soundcard code into the Amiga and it worked first time. I want to make
the STM32 available to the ZX20 as a kind of media
player/DSP/co-processor. If it works on the ZX20 it’ll probably work on
the Amiga too.
Logging into the Particles BBS over NComm via the Internet with telser.

I use the Roadshow TCP/IP stack to access my network and the Internet.
Lots of older Amiga software uses the serial.device for serial links.
[26]Telser creates a fake serial device that works over IP. I can point
it at any network destination and connect to BBSes with old-school
clients. It also opened up the possibility to do something way cooler.
AmiCom on an Amiga 4000 monitoring APRS radio broadcasts

I spent most of Saturday trying to get CAT control working with a Yaesu
FT-897d radio. While I did eventually succeed, background RF noise made
it impossible to decode 2m APRS broadcasts. I fell back to [27]WebSDRs
on a Windows 10 PC and routed the audio to a [28]Direwolf audio modem
via a [29]Virtual Cable. I configured AmiCom to use Direwolf as a KISS
TNC over the network via telser and dialed in. The screenshot above
shows decodes of APRS traffic around Cheshire, North England.

I also tried sending SSTV on 2M from the Amiga via af_mksstv, but I
only had a phone to hand for the decode. I doubt anyone picked it up
given RF noise levels. If you did, I’d love to see your decode!

Although possible, most modern activities are quicker on modern
computers. The Amiga is capable of a lot and there is software for
almost everything. Amiga software holds your hands less, and often
involves more steps. Some activities involve waiting times that just
don’t exist on modern systems. On the plus side, Amiga software rarely
features telemetry. Spying on users takes up cycles, and they'd notice.

Of course I played games on the Amiga. Yes, I can play doom full-screen
at full-speed but I can do that on a PC. I prefer being insulted by
Archer Maclean’s Pool, doing mad jumps in Stunt Car Racer and blowing
up Worms. It’s not all old games either.

IFRAME:
[30]https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/y9fQw1W22i8?start=1503s&rel=
0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

This year has seen AGA remakes of Turrican 2, Supercars 2, and the
recently released Turbo Sprint. Amiga 500 owners aren’t left behind.
There is a new Robocop arcade port in the works and original games like
Wrong Way Driver and Super Delivery Boy. Dread is an upcoming
unaccelerated Amiga 500 Doom remake. That’s right, full speed on an
unaccelerated Amiga 500. You can watch it in action on the video above
from 25 minutes in.

Yes I can listen to Internet Radio on a Bluetooth speaker from my
Amiga. Yes that does feel cool in a nerdy way, but it’s not a reason to
have one. Nostalgia has a strong pull but Amiga OS 3.2 isn't nostalgic,
it’s new. The main reason to use an Amiga in 2021 is the same as it was
in 1985 - Creativity.

The iPad was the first successful consumption-oriented mass-market
computing device. Yes you can create on an iPad now, but as it was
initially designed for consumption, not creation. The success of the
iPad led to consumption-oriented design patterns being added to modern
systems.

From the beginning the Amiga was designed for creativity. It permeates
through the Operating System. There are applications for everything. 36
Years after it arrived, the Amiga still excels at pixel art, music and
3D graphics. The lack of always-connected design reduces distraction.
The multi-tasking OS keeps things usable.

Personal computing on an Amiga is intentional, not passive. There is no
doomscrolling. No pop-up distractions. No recommended content from
carefully selected partners. You turn on, do what interests you, then
switch it off. I have a similar experience with Mac System 7. Of course
[31]the fastest 68k Mac is an Amiga.

Things You May Have Missed, Amiga Edition

IFRAME:
[32]https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/TqLSQ07G7qM?rel=0&autoplay=0
&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

In this video [33]Amigalove’s Intric8 walks through his amazing Tron
art piece made in Deluxe Paint III, step-by-step. If you’d like to
(re)learn how to make your own pixel art, [34]Pixel Vixen’s YouTube
channel features Deluxe Paint Tutorials alongside her own art.

If you’re more into 3D, then the [35]Amiga Raytracing Society has a 50
part Lightwave Tutorial. Lightwave was used extensively in TV series
like Babylon 5 and the 90s Robocop TV show. It was also popular in
cinema, being used in films like the original Jurassic Park, Casper and
Demolition Man movies.

IFRAME:
[36]https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/JpTvMSA4m04?rel=0&autoplay=0
&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

Hoffman’s DJs protracker mods using two Amigas and PT-1210 in his
Unstable Radio sets. Bizzy B Science’s [37]OctaMED Tutorial playlist
will have you dropping some serious Drum ‘n’ Bass in no time at all.

[38]PJ Hutchison’s site has some brilliant programming tutorials, while
Weiju Wu’s [39]Amiga Programming in C playlist is definitely worth
watching. The mother of all Amiga programming tutorials has to be
Photon of Scoopex’s [40]Amiga Hardware Programming which takes you
through classic demo coding from start to finish.

ed(1)conf spotted this old page about an ATI [41]Ascii graphics
accelerator for playing Nethack. I can dream.

IFRAME:
[42]https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/8D2JEkcdLNw?rel=0&autoplay=0
&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

I know there are better Amiga demos with better music out there but for
a lot of people Jesus On E’s stands out, so I thought I’d end with it.
To quote famous 18th century writer Samuel Johnson:

When a man is tired of Amigas, he is tired of life.

Ok, maybe he was talking about London. But if he had an Amiga I’m
pretty sure he’d have said something vaguely similar. I’ll be in all
good inboxes next month with more Tales From The Dork Web. If you’d
like it in yours, you can sign up below.
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