"Amiga Foundation Classes" (AFC from now on) is the name of a library of Object Classes designed to manage the several features of Amiga. Each Class will constitute an interface between the programmer and a particular aspect of the Amiga Operating System, trying to make the design and the coding of a program for the Amiga OS computers easier. The AFC have been also designed to assure a quicker porting of the Amiga programs on the future Amiga-Compatible Operating Systems. See section 2.4 for more infos.

What are the Amiga Foundation Classes for

We have designed the AFC for different reasons: first of all the necessity of fully exploiting the object oriented programming (OOP), that allows to "recycle" code using it in other Classes or in other programs. The recompilation of the AFC on future computers with an Amiga-Compatible OS will allow a quicker porting of software products. See section 2.4 for more infos.

Who will use the Amiga Foundation Classes

The AFC will be available to all programmers using a language supporting the OOP. The AFC can be used freely in FreeWare, ShareWare, PD or Commercial programs without paying any royalty. Probably, in the final version of the (C)Copyright of the AFC we will ask to programmers that use them in their code to include a message of the form "This program uses the AFC", but we have not decided it yet.

Future of the Amiga Foundation Classes

The AFC have been designed to warrant a reliable base of Objects to be used in the future Amiga-Compatible machines: by recompiling the AFC source code will be possible to obtain an excellent library of Classes with which one can easily build applications for the new computers. The advantage of using Classes of objects over the Operating System calls is due to the fact that such Classes work as an "interface" between the OS and the programmer:
people that programmed on the Amiga using the AFC will bring their code on the new machines by simply recompiling the sources and using the AFC version implemented on the new computer on which they are working. Thank to the AFC, programmers will save a lot of time (otherwise spent in learning the new OS) and will keep on using the same Classes with the same sintax and the same behaviour. This implies, at least in our intentions, that the software will be developed better and in a shorter time. The risk that every new Operating System has to face, when it first comes to life, is the lack of professional software. Thank to the AFC it will be possible to provide in brief time professional products for these new OS.

Interfacing with new Amiga OS Compatibles

It's our intention to freely supply developers of Amiga-Compatible OS with the source code of the AFC, be they Phase5, VisCorp, Be Inc., AROS, p-OS, PIOS, etc. Indeed, we are persuaded that the future of a new machine, possibly not depending on Microsoft, is to be found in the possibility of having in a short time software products of a professional quality. Thus the AFC sources will be provided to every OS developer that will ask for them. Then the particular implementation will be examined by the supervisors of AFC that will give their approval and allow the distribution.

Please, visit Amiga Foundation Classes site:
Amiga Foundation Classes