Amiga software
Amiga software is computer software engineered to run on the Amiga personal computer. Amiga software covers many applications, including productivity, digital art, games, commercial, freeware and hobbyist products. The market was active in the late 1980s and early 1990s but then dwindled. Most Amiga products were originally created directly for the Amiga computer (most taking advantage of the platform's unique attributes and capabilities), and were not ported from other platforms.
During its lifetime, thousands of applications were produced with over 10,000 utilities[1] (collected into the Aminet repository). However, it was perceived as a games machine from outside its community of experienced and professional users.[citation needed] More than 12,000 games were available.[2][ 3][ 4] New applications for the three existing Amiga-like operating systems[5] are generally ported from the open source (mainly from Linux) software base.
Many Amiga software products or noteworthy programs during the timeline were ported to other platforms or inspired new programs, such as those aimed at 3D rendering or audio creations, e.g. LightWave 3D, Cinema 4D, and Blender (whose development started for the Amiga platform only). The first multimedia word processors for Amiga, such as TextCraft, Scribble!, Rashumon, and Wordworth, were the first on the market to implement full color WYSIWYG (with other platforms then only implementing black-and-white previews) and allowing the embedding of audio files.[citation needed]
History and characteristics
From the origins to 1988
1985
Amiga software started its history with the 1985
1986
In 1986 (the year of the launch of
1987
In 1987 the Amiga 500 (A500) was released. The Amiga software market moved in favor of entertainment over professional software.
ProWrite (word processor), Maxiplan 500 (spreadsheet), and Aegis Sonix, a music program similar to Instant Music, were produced. [10].
In July,
In 1987,
]At COMDEX NewTek showed for the first time a prototype of Video Toaster and Impulse released TurboSilver 2.0.
1988
In 1988,
GfxBase released the X Windows System for the Amiga. Running under AmigaDos it used a custom screen to allow users access to X Window programs on other Amigas as well as non-Amiga systems on the local network. Also the 3 button Boing! optical mouse was available for Amiga users.
1989–1994
In 1989,
1994 to today
After 1994, Commodore's demise left Amiga to an uncertain future. Windows-based PCs became the standard in the home and the office. Many software houses either left the Amiga market or ran into financial troubles. In 1996,
Usability
Amiga software presents a complete graphical interface, following Amiga WYSIWYG "desktop paradigm" and native AmigaOS interface guidelines; that is to say, the software is mouse-driven and presents also pull-down "menus" and "dialogue windows". AmigaOS maintained a text-based shell allowing software to present a text-based GUI, or a "command line".
Cataloging
The main software categories are
- Productivity software (also called application software);
- Support and maintenance utilities for formatting hard disks, recover or backup data, etc.;
- Multimedia software (graphic, video, music);
- Communication software (including the software for dealing with Internet and any other net);
- Programming toolsfor developing products and applications;
- other utilities that enhance the ease of use in any Operating System (for example Emulationsoftware that allows a computer to run software written for another architecture.
Productivity software
Amiga created productivity software which covers graphics, video, design and CAD software; graphic utilities; vector graphics programs and converters; word processors; programmable text editors; database and spreadsheets; science, entertainment and special use programs: entertainment; fractals, virtual reality, artificial intelligence; route planning; personal Organizer, notebook, diary software; personal budgeting, home banking and accounting.
Support and maintenance utilities
Amiga created utilities for hard disk partitioning; diagnostic tools; VGA promoting tools for ancient Amiga software with TV resolution graphic screens; game loaders for storing and auto-loading from hard disks, auto-starting non-standard floppy disks; disk copiers; backup and recovery tools, archive and compression utilities; command line interfaces and text-based shells; graphical GUI interfaces with WIMP paradigm; advanced graphics systems; PostScript; fonts; font design; audio system; native, external, widely common used, and third-party filesystems; MultiView; MIME types; USB stacks; Firewire stacks (IEEE 1394); printer drivers; video digitizers; graphic tablets; scanner drivers; genlocks, chroma-key, signal video inverters; infrared devices and remote controls; WiFi and Bluetooth devices; and special devices.
Music
Music software includes sound design; audio synthesis; music; audio digitizing and sampling; hard disk recording; speech synthesis; audio trackers; MOD music module filetype.
Communications software
Solutions include modem software, Direct Connect, BBS managing, Fidonet, Packet Radio; Prestel, Videotel, Videotex, Minitel; Teletext, Televideo, Viewdata; FAX, answering machine and voice mail; ISDN; networking and Ethernet protocols; World Wide Web (TCP/IP stacks, browsers, E-mail programs, newsreaders, Internet Radio, proxy server support programs, PPP, Telnet, podcasting, RSS feed, Distributed Net, Google Services, Instant Messaging and chat, FTP and FTP server, weather casting news, Webcam supporting, clock synchronization, SMS Short Messages, Web development and HTTP server, Peer2Peer, VCast (online VCR), YouTube, Flash player, monitoring webpages, Remote Desktop, SSL, SSH, et cetera); communication protocols.
Modem, Direct Connect, BBS managing, Fidonet, packet radio
- Termite, X-Term, A-Term, Baud Bandit I and II, OnLine!
- Direct parallel and serial cable connect: ParNET, SerNET
- Fidonet Mail: Amiga version of GNU AWK, AmyBW, Q-Blue QWK and Blue Wave mail readers
- BBS management: C-NET II, Zeus BBS, Hydra BBS, DLG Pro, Amiexpress, Infinity, Tempest (software)
- Packet Radio: AmiCom, AmigaTNC, and Amipac
- Amateur radio: Amiga Amateur Radio Group, AMIGA-FAX/SSTV, METEO/FAX/SSTV, PakRatt, Multicom, AmTOR, AmigaCALL.
BTX, Prestel, Videotel, Videotex and Minitel
In some European countries, and especially in France, Minitel data transmitting services were popular before the Internet. Minitel had many consumer-level communication services, including chatting, email, railway and broadcast timetables and travel and hotel booking. Minitel used little terminals rented from telephone companies or computers with modems that accept Minitel transmission protocol speed. Amiga Minitel communication programs were written in France, Germany and Italy (Amiga Videotel).
- AmigaTel (CEPT2 standard, for Minitel)
- BTX (CEPT1 standard, for the German BTX service)
- MtA (CEPT2 and CEPT3 standards, for Italian Videotex which supported both)
- Ruby View (CEPT3, for UK's Prestel)
Teletext, Televideo, and Viewdata
Teletext is an information retrieval service system based on transmitting data with normal TV broadcast signals without interfering with TV programs. Standalone programs for teletext included Amiga Teletext and the Videotex datatype.[1]
FAX, answering machine and voice mail
- AFax, Amiga-FAX, GPFax, FaxQuik, STFax, TrapFax, AVM (software), MultiAnswer, Zyxel Voice Mail.
ISDN
ISDN digital telephone and circuit-switched telephone network system were supported via the expansion cards ISDN Master and ISDN Master II, their drivers and related software.
Networking and Ethernet protocols
Amiga supported SANA-II and MNI drivers, Envoy protocols from IAM,
SANA-II drivers
- 3c589.device for 3Com
- a2060.device for A2060/A560 ARCNET
- a2065.device for A2065 Ethernet
- ariadne.device and ariadne_ii.device for Ariadne/Ariadne II
- cnet.device for NE2000cards
- hydra.device for AmigaNet/AmigaNet 500
- iwan.device for ISDN
- plipbox.device for plipbox open-source Ethernet adapter using the parallel port
- ppp.device using PPPover serial line
- rh(c)slip.device using the Serial Line Internet Protocol
- sanamni.device bridge for MNI drivers
- x-surf.device, appp.device, xsurfadsl.device (PPPoE) for X-Surf/X-Surf 2
MNI drivers
Internet
Programs to access the Web are mostly available for newer Amiga platforms.
- Amiga TCP/IP: AmiTCP, EasyNet, Genesis, Miami and Miami Deluxe, Roadshow for AmigaOS, MosNet and NetStack for MorphOS (both based on AmiTCP).
- Amiga AMP: scripting languages) solution stack AAMP.
- Browsers:
- Old browsers or "text only" based ones:
- Amiga Emacs/W3 WWW client in GNU Emacs
- Modern browsers up to HTML 3.2 without CSS:
- Cygnix
- Browsers with HTML 5 and CSS:
- OWB (Origyn Web Browser, sometimes also referred as Odyssey Web Browser) for AmigaOS and MorphOS
- NetSurf for AmigaOS and MorphOS
- Timberwolf web browser for AmigaOS 4 based on Mozilla Firefox 4
- E-mail: Thor (software) YAM, Simplemail, Anubis (software)
- Newsreaders: NewsRog, MicroDot II, NewsCoaster
- Internet Radio: AmigaAMP (Amiga look-alike version of Winamp),[2]
- Gopher: Gopherexx
- Proxy server PProxy, Privoxy
- PPP: AmiPPP, Multilink PPP
- Telnet: AmTelnet
- Podcasting: AmiPodder[3]
- Amiga RSS feed: AmRSS
- Distributed net: DNetC
- GPS (Global Positioning System): WxWatch
- Google services:
- GoogleMaps: Supported through OWB Browser
- Google Earth: Supported through OWB Browser
- GoogleMail: Supported only in 'basic HTML' mode.
- Google Picasa: Supported through OWB Browser on all Amiga systems or directly through WAManager[4] (MOS) dedicated software.
- GoogleBar Toolbar: not supported by Amiga browsers
- Amiga Instant Messaging and chat: AmTalk, ACUSeeMe,
- Twitter: AmiTwitter[11] for AmigaOS Classic, AmigaOS 4 and MorphOS.
- Telephony
- Messenger voice chat: not supported
- Skype VoIP: not supported
- H.323 VoIP protocol: not supported
- Amiga voice calls: It has been reported that AmTalk supports voice calls between two Amigas running that program, but this feature is unconfirmed.
- FTP: ATC (Amiga Trading Centre), Amiga wget, AmFTP, AmiFTP, GUI-FTP, HTTPResume, Charon, CManager, FTPMount (mounts remote FTP as standard Amiga devices), Pete's FTP (PFTP).
- FTP server: Amiga RC-FTPd, AmiFTPd
- Weather casting net Amiga WET,[12] Weather Experience, Wetter.[13]
- Live webcam supporting: AmiWebView, WebVision, WebCam[14]
- Amiga USB webcam driver: Personal Webcam, Amiga Sonix[15] webcam driver for various models of USB webcams
- Clock synchronization: FACTS[16]
- SMS Short Messages: TaskiSMS
- Web development and HTTP Server: Apache for Amiga, Apache PHP, Thttpd, Thttpd PHP, WebMaker HTML editor, Ami.HTML Webscape.
- Peer2Peer: Amiga Mule (peer-to-peer), Transmission, enqueueTorrent, mlDonkey
- VCast, Online VCR: otrMUI for MorphOS by Thomas Igracki
- YouTube: On AmigaOS and MorphOS there are various clients or downloaders for YouTube all based upon scripts made by the ARexx language. These scripts spare some functions from existing Amiga programs like wget and MPlayer and join them in a big meta-application utility able to handle YouTube animations: YouTube downloader.rexx, ib youtube.rexx loading YouTube movies into Amiga browser IBrowse, getvideo.rexx, and YouTube client TubeXX, Flayer ARexx script.
- Flash player: Amiga SWFPlayer
- Monitoring webpages: Seventhsense
- Remote desktop: TwinVNC, VNCServer, MorphVNC
- Pretty Good Privacy:[18] 2.6.3i.
- SSL, SSH: AmiSSL, Amiga OpenSSL, Amiga OpenSSH, SSHCON[19]
- Web album photo sharing services: WAManager[20] (for MorphOS) handles Google Picasa web album service.
- Other: Sniffy, Net Tools (net ping, resolve, traceroute, etc.), Gallerius (generator of HTML galleries)
Communication protocols
Skypix is an Amiga communication protocol. It was one of the first interactive online graphics-and-sound protocols.[21] It was introduced in 1987 as part of the Skyline (Atredes) bulletin board system (BBS), running on the Skyline BBS and Skyterm terminal. Years before the World Wide Web, Skypix allowed rich interactive graphics and sound, as well as mouse control, to be a part of the online experience, which was until then limited to text and ANSI graphics. Skypix allowed users to write and integrate graphical programs, and included the first "authoring program", Skypaint. Skypix created enthusiastic game and online application writers years before the World Wide Web made such features a common part of the online experience. It was quickly abandoned as more advanced markup languages for BBS became available and due to the emerging of Internet phenomenon that marginalized the BBS system of communication.
Programming
Despite the variety of programming languages and compilers, most development was done using C and C++, 680x0 assembler and various Basic dialects.
Multimedia
- Movie players: DvPlayer by A-EON Technology (for AmigaOS 4.x), Frogger Player, MooVID player, SoftCinema, AmiDogMoviePlayer, mPlayer, MysticView, VLC (for MorphOS).
- Media Center: AMC a multiplatform multimedia center realized with Amiga Hollywood piloting mPlayer.
- Internet Radio: TuneNet and its front-end Amuse,[22] AmigaAMP and AmiAMP (similar to Winamp), AmiNetRadio
- Music: Kaya Player, Hippo player, CD Player, PlayOGG, HivelyPlay, Play16
- Special players and music modules players: AdLibmodules
- TiMidity, DG Midi Player
- Image viewers: Multiview, Showgirls, SView5, MiniShowPicture, PicShow, SimpleView
- Image cataloguers: PhotoAlbum
- Flash SWF file editing: SWFTools Open Source set of flash .swf files utilities
- Flash SWF file playing: simple basic Flash Player for MorphOS, Gnash for AmigaOS 4.1, Swfdec (integrated as Plug-In for Origyn Web Browserfor MorphOS).
- Encoding video: MEncoder
- Encoding audio: ADPCM
- PowerPoint ".PPT" files: PointRider
- Adobe Systems".PDF" files: APDF
- Digital cameras: Canon toolbox for Canon photocameras,[23] PtpDigCam,[24] SimpleCam,[23] AmiCaMedia,[25] DigiCam,[26] CamControl,[27] Camedia,[28] IOSUB Digicam Package, VHI Studio[29]
- TV cards players: Amithlon TV, Visionary, AmiTV and VailantVision that is an evolution of Amihlon TV.[30]
- Java: It exists only old versions of were dismissed before reaching a working status.
Drivers for multimedia devices and special input functions
- Multimedia keyboards: MMKeyboard[32]
- Hand-writing recognition: Meridian is a program that performs handwriting recognition input functions using a stylus like those equipping any tablet PC, emulating the stylus by mouse.[33]
- Graphics tablets: FormAldiHyd, GTDriver, and SlateCtrl are shareware/freeware drivers for several serial-port graphics tablets. "mousev1b" is a driver to use an Apple Newton as a graphics tablet.[34]
Accessibility software
- Jakeboard input software and hardware emulation keyboard and mouse was used by persons with physical limitations and/or problems of movements.[35] Software and hardware schemes are downloadable at BlackBeltSystems Amiga Software page.[36]
- Talkboard[35] similar to jakeboard, is a downloadable speech-generation system for persons.
Optical media
Alternative filesystems included AsimCDFS, AmiCDROM, CDVDFS, Allegro CDFS and CacheCDFS.
BurnIt!, Frying Pan, MakeCD, AmiDVD, DVDRecord, DVDAuthor could burn CDs, DVDs and/or Blu-ray media.
MakeCD was the first Amiga program to support Disk At Once (DAO). Frying Pan was the first Amiga program capable to create DVDs. Frying Pan and BurnIt! are capable to handle DVD.
BlueHD from German programmer Carsten Siegner is a MorphOS program capable of authoring and burning HD-DVDs in these formats:
- Normal Video-DVD (European PAL)
- HD-Video-DVD Blu-ray players)
- HD-Video-DVD HDTV (MP4-h264/AVC)
Disk images and ISO files management
- .
- ISOMount mounts CD ISOs, PC floppy disk images and Amiga disk images. It supports: Amiga (ADF) 880 KB either OFS and FFS, MS-DOS (IMG) from 360 KB up to 2.88 MB (Fat12), Atari ST 800 KB (Fat12), MAC GS (file image of Mac has no extensions) 800 KB (MFM encoded), CD (ISO) – every size, including floppy-specific.
- MountVirtual and DiskImage programs for AmigaOS and MorphOS that mount CD ISO images as standard Amiga devices. Supports CD ISO images and disk images such as ADF, DMS, IFS. MountVirtual requires DiskImage.
- VirtualCD uses ISOs and CD images as virtual drives.
- mkisofs and Amkisofsare ports of MaKeISOFileSystem.
(A complete list of ISO managements and converters is available on Aminet.)
Utilities
AmiDock creates
Directory Opus was a file utility program. When this software was released, Amiga magazines[clarification needed] proclaimed that it was the most important software ever released for the Amiga and "should be built into the operating system". Directory Opus went on to create a "replacement OS" for Workbench which overlaid itself upon the system. It started as a file manager, and then became a complete desktop replacement and an alternative to the official Workbench. The utility was later ported to Windows and remains widely used.
HyperCache (written by
SysSpeed was a shareware
Much shareware and free software was written for the Amiga and could be obtained via the Fred Fish disk series or from the Aminet software archive.
Because the custom chipset shares RAM (and therefore the memory bus) with the CPU, throughput increases measurably if the display is disabled. Some processor-intensive software, such as 3D renderers, disable the display during calculation to gain speed.[citation needed]
Emulation
Commercial
Freeware
Games
Thousands of games were produced. At the time it was common for games to be produced for multiple formats. Since the Amiga hardware was the most advanced, games were usually developed on an Amiga, and the Amiga version would be the "gold standard" of the bunch.[citation needed]
Demos
The Amiga was a focal point for the "demo scene". The Amiga thrived on public domain, freeware and other not-for-profit development. The demo scene spearheaded development in multimedia programming techniques for the Amiga, such that it was de rigueur for the latest visual tricks, soundtrackers and 3D algorithms from the demo scene to end up being used in computer game development.
Piracy
Because Amiga was one of the first game-oriented computers to feature a built-in floppy disk drive, it simplified
Anti-piracy measures included the practice of distributing software on disks that contained secret "keys" on high-numbered tracks that were officially unused. The Amiga disk drive officially supported tracks 0–79 from a double-density disk, but could actually read tracks 80 through 82. Standard disk-imaging software ignored these tracks, so that a duplicate of a boxed disk would not contain the key and the software would not work. A similar technique involved writing to normally-unused sectors of the disk. Copy software called "nibble" copiers appeared that could exactly reproduce such disks.
Publishers turned to other methods.
Pirates responded with "cracking" software that altered the code to bypass copy protection completely. Every protection scheme was eventually broken. One near exception was the scheme on Dragon's Lair, which became the "holy grail" of crackers worldwide, but it was also broken.[citation needed]
"Decrunching"
The Amiga's
TransADF
TransADF is a program that transfers the contents of a
References
- ^ "Aminet - util/dtype/vtx_dt.lha". Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ "AmigaAmp". Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ "Amigo Software – software, Social and Online Courses". September 30, 2017. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Index of /". kiero.binaryriot.org. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Matthias Muench. "Jabberwocky - A Jabber Client for Amiga Computer". Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ "Epistula". Archived from the original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ SabreMSN Archived April 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "MiniQ homepage". Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
- ^ "Gadami".
- ^ WookieChat Archived July 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Getting Started with AmiTwitter". Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ "Wet: Weather on Amiga Workbench". Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ "#AmigaZeux proudly presents: Wetter".
- ^ "Aminet - comm/tcp/WebCam.lha". Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ "Sonix". Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ "FACTS: Time Synchronisation". Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ "OS4Depot - Your one stop for AmigaOS4 files". www.os4depot.net. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ "PGP 2.6.3i for Amiga". Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ "SSHCON Online". Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ "Index of /". Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ Scott Lee. "The BBS Software Directory". Jason Scott for Wired Magazine. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ "AMuse". Amiga Future (in German). No. 74. APC&TCP. September 2008. pp. 32–33.
- ^ a b "NaTmeg HQ". Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved October 31, 2008.
- ^ "Aminet - comm/misc/PtpDigCam-V2.2-AOS.lha". aminet.net. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ "qdev.de - AmiCamedia". www.qdev.de. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ "DigiCam". Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved October 31, 2008.
- ^ "Etikettendrucker SQUIX | cab".
- ^ "Aminet - comm/Misc/Camedia.lha".
- ^ "Home | IOSPIRIT". www.iospirit.com. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ "ValiantVision".
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 25, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2008.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "MMKeyboard".
- ^ http://www.geit.de/deu_meridian.html Meridian
- ^ "Aminet search 'tablet'". Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ a b "Amiga software archive - Black Belt Systems". Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ "Site Is Down". Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ REVIEW: HyperCache Professional, Retrieved April 6, 2016
- ^ Matthews, Dave (August 1997). "The Old Workbench: Episode 9". Amazing Computing. Vol. 12, no. 8. p. 29.
- ^ "Shaw Communications". members.shaw.ca. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ISSN 0957-4867.
- ISSN 0957-4867.
- ^ "TransADF.readme" (TXT). aminet.net. October 5, 1998. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
Notes
- ^ Aminet tree, Aminet Statistics
- ^ WHDload site download section reports that this program supports actually 1991 games (and it is far from creating a complete list of all Amiga games).
- WinUAEAmiga emulator) reports in its statistics window section 3453 known Amiga games.
- ^ Obligement France reported in January 2009 a list of 13,528 known Amiga games, as divided in 12,416 original games, 953 games extensions or data disks for original games, 125 level editors or game editors for existing games, 34 loaders to let Amiga run some games created on other platforms.
- ^ Ars Technica: A history of the Amiga, part 4: Enter Commodore, By Jeremy Reimer. October 21, 2007
- AROS, and MorphOS
- Brantford Personal Computer Museumonline site
- ^ Interview by Jim Sachs in March 2009, from Amiga Polish Portal (Polskim Portalu Amigowym)
- ^ Jim Sachs presents himself on site of SereneScreen Aquarium screensaver program
- ^ Review of ProWrite on Compute! Magazine, issue 88, September 1987
- ^ Chronology of Amiga Computers at pctimeline.info
- ^ Advertising from Wordperfect on InfoWorld Magazine, issue 30, January 21, 1987, page 34 (retrieved from Brief history of Wordperfect at Cunningham & Cunningham Inc., object-oriented programming consultancy firm based in Portland, Oregon, USA, members of Wordperfect Universe User Group)
External links
- Aminet, the biggest repository of all public domain softwarefor the Amiga platform
- THE Amiga Software Database – ASD, lists almost all of the known commercial Amiga software, books and CD-ROMs, most of them with cover scans
- TransADF on Aminet