@DATABASE Boing Bag 2 for AmigaOS 3.9
@MASTER Readme.guide
@$VER: Readme.guide 45.11 (19.3.2002) © 2002 by Amiga, Inc. and HAAGE&PARTNER
@SMARTWRAP

@NODE MAIN "Boing Bag 2 for AmigaOS 3.9"


@{b}@{u}@{fg shine}Contents of the update@{fg text}@{uu}@{ub}


@{u}Note:@{uu} Some links which demonstrate features of this Boing Bag
will only work correctly after you've installed Boing Bag 3.9-2. Please
remember to install the locale files for each language you want to use.
You can find a locale archive for each supported language on www.amiga.com


@{b}Multimedia@{ub}


AMPlifier now sports a nice ReAction GUI in order to blend well with
the AmigaOS 3.9 look and feel. There is now an option to play entries of
the play list by double-clicking. AMPlifer now supports zipped skins
("#?.wsz"-files) that are uncompressed automatically.


The sound datatype now supports
@{"playing sound files via the AHI audio driver" link ahi}. This is another
step towards hardware independence.
@{"PlayCD" system "run <nil: >nil: SYS:Utilities/PlayCD"} now supports
retrieving information about the inserted audio CD and its tracks using the
cddb.library. For this to work, cddb.library needs to be installed, and your
Amiga should be online.


The picture datatype now has its own preferences editor called
@{"PictDT" system "Run <nil: >nil: SYS:Prefs/PictDT"}.
With it, you can explicitely set which application supports the V43 mode of
the datatype. This modus offers support for screens with more than 256
colors. In addition, you can specify whether pictures should be dithered
on high color screens (65536 colors) or not. Disabling dithering decreases image
quality on these screens, but improves the speed of the datatype considerably.


@{"MultiView" system "run <nil: >nil: SYS:Utilities/MultiView FILE Installer/HiRes/BB39-2-logo.jpg WINDOWTOP 100 WINDOWLEFT 100 WINDOWWIDTH 150 WINDOWHEIGHT 150"} now
supports new @{"tooltypes" link multiview} to set its window position and
allows vertical scrolling via mouse wheel.



@{b}Enhanced shell as well as new and updated shell commands@{ub}


The AmigaDOS shell has been completely reworked. The new shell will be
installed using a new AmigaOS ROM Update (see below). It offers many new
features which are described in detail in the
@{"shell manual" link Manuals/English/Shell.guide/MAIN}, including:


- starting of programs in the background via &

- job control

- easy display of multimedia files

- enhanced script support via #! and ;!

- new and improved shell commands like
@{"Ask" link Manuals/English/Shell.guide/Ask},
@{"Path" link Manuals/English/Shell.guide/Path},
@{"PopCD" link Manuals/English/Shell.guide/PopCD} and
@{"PushCD" link Manuals/English/Shell.guide/PushCD}

- as well as many bugfixes and minor improvements


The console handler, ViNCEd, now supports
@{"automatic changes to key mapping" link vinced}, when it was changed, e.g. using the
@{"Input" system "run <nil: >nil: SYS:Prefs/Input"} preferences editor.


@{b}Workbench and Workbench tools@{ub}


ASyncWB has been overhauled, and sports some new features: When renaming
lots of icons, only one icon will be renamed at a time instead of
cluttering the desktop with lots of rename windows. When copying files,
the file date will also be cloned.


The "Execute command" window now has a simple command history that you can
cycle through via cursor up and cursor down keys. When entering the path
to a drawer, Workbench will open it. When entering a URL, a web browser
will be started to display it (the latter requires the OpenURL software).


@{"Find" system "run <nil: >nil: SYS:System/Find"} has a new graphical user interface. Only one window will be opened
which controls setting the search options, and also shows the results of the
search. When double-clicking an entry from the search results list, it
will now be started with WBRun and therefore uses DefIcons functionality.
Beside starting executables directly, pictures can also be displayed
or text can be read.


RAWBInfo has been enhanced: Now you can rename the object being displayed
directly from the information window. RAWBInfo now also supports WBRun;
one double-click on the icon shows a picture, plays a sound, etc. RAWBInfo
now also uses DefIcons to display the type of the object above the icon.


Now,
@{"Version 10" link Manuals/English/xad/xadmaster.guide/History}
 of @{"XAD" link Manuals/English/xad/xadmaster.guide/MAIN} (the powerful
unarchiving system), is included. It supports new archive formats and can
handle the slightly changed password encryption used in newer InfoZip
archivers. @{"UnArc" system "run <nil: >nil: SYS:Tools/UnArc"} now supports
ADF disk images which can be depacked file by file.


BenchTrash sports a nice ReAction GUI, and now integrates well with the look and
feel of AmigaOS 3.9.
@{"Calculator" system "run <nil: >nil: SYS:Tools/Calculator"} now also features
a ReAction GUI.


@{b}ReAction GUI@{ub}


Boing Bag 3.9-2 contains a further optimized, improved, and enhanced set of
ReAction classes. The new ReAction supports closing and re-opening of
application windows if the screenmode of the Workbench screen changes.
When a PowerPC CPU is present, the colorwheel will be calculated faster. A
background picture/pattern for ReAction applications is now featured, as well as many
many improvements to small details.



@{b}The new ROM Update@{ub}


This Boing Bag contains a new version of the AmigaOS ROM Update. Apart from
the previously mentioned new @{"Shell" link Manuals/English/Shell.guide/MAIN},
 it contains a bug fixed and updated @{"Exec" link exec} multitasking
kernel, a @{"boot menu" link bootmenu} that supports
monitors that no longer support 15KHz modes, as well as improved
drivers for IDE harddisks connected to the internal Amiga IDE
controller. The new IDE driver should now recognize additional IDE harddisks
correctly.


@{u}Note:@{uu} We cannot guarantee that the ROM Update works properly on
each hardware and software configuration that can run AmigaOS 3.9 with
Boing Bag 3.9-2. Thus we have only provided limited warranty and limited
support for the ROM Update: If it doesn't run on your system, please use
the ROM Update supplied on the AmigaOS 3.9 CD or do not use the ROM Update
at all. You might also try skipping certain parts of the ROM Update by using
@{"SetPatch SKIPROMUPDATES" link skipromupdates}. Amiga Inc. and
HAAGE&PARTNER are not obligated to ensure that the ROM Update works on
your system.



@{b}Harddisk support@{ub}


Support for harddisks larger than 4GB has been completed: Support for some
big drives has been enhanced - reading their geometry data should now
work. DiskCopy now also supports big harddisks. All other parts of AmigaOS
3.9 - including device driver, file system and formatting utilitiy -
already had support for large harddisks before.


HDToolBox now hides additional unsuitable devices and provides the means of adding
further devicenames to hide via its new icon tooltype or shell argument
@{"HIDEDEVICES" link hdtoolbox}.



@{b}@{u}@{fg shine}Contributions@{fg text}@{uu}@{ub}


A big thank you goes to all contributors.


@{b}@{"To all translators, betatesters, and developers:" link credits}@{ub}

- For their never-ending efforts to translate AmigaOS 3.9 and updates
into many different languages. Many thanks also go to all the developers
and betatesters. They all made this huge and wonderful Boing Bag possible!


@{b}Martin R. Elsner@{ub}

- For his file manager ClassAction, that blends with AmigaOS nicely


@{b}Thomas Igracki@{ub}

- For his CDDB support library


@{b}Troels Walsted Hansen and Alfonso Ranieri@{ub}

- For OpenURL to simply start a webbrowser or e-mail client within an
application


@{i}Copyright © Amiga Inc., 34935 SE Douglas Street, Suite 210, Snoqualmie, WA 98065, USA
 and HAAGE&PARTNER Computer GmbH, Schlossborner Weg 7, 61479 Glashuetten, Deutschland@{ui}


This Boing Bag is available exclusively from Amiga Inc. and HAAGE&PARTNER
GmbH for download from www.amiga.com and www.haage-partner.com or on a
service CD. Distributing it on any other medium requires prior permission
from Amiga Inc. and HAAGE&PARTNER GmbH.

@ENDNODE

@NODE ahi "Playing audio files via AHI"


To enable the AHI support in "sound.datatype", make sure you have
installed the AHI audio driver software. Then specify which AHI unit
should be used for sound output, i.e.:

@{code}
SetEnv SAVE classes/datatypes/sound/AHI 0
@{body}

For each of the four units, 0-3, you can use the
@{"AHI preferences editor" system "run <nil: >nil: SYS:Prefs/AHI"} to
specify which audio driver and sample frequency should be used.

@ENDNODE

@NODE multiview "New tooltypes for MultiView"


MultiView now supports the following tooltypes or shell arguments:

@{code}
WINDOWLEFT    - Left edge of the MultiView window

WINDOWTOP     - Top edge of the MultiView window

WINDOWWIDTH   - Width of the MultiView window

WINDOWHEIGHT  - Height of the MultiView window
@{body}

@ENDNODE

@NODE vinced "Updating key mapping automatically within ViNCEd"


To activate automatic updates of the key mapping within ViNCEd, enter the
following command exactly as shown into a
@{"shell window" system "NewShell <nil: >nil: CON:100/100/500/200/BoingBag-Shell"}
:

@{code}
S:Setkeyboard "?"
@{body}

To make this change permanent, add this line to the file
@{"Shell-Startup" system "run <nil: >nil: SYS:Tools/EditPad S:Shell-Startup"}
.

@ENDNODE

@NODE exec "Updated Exec multitasking kernel"


The new Exec multitasking kernel contains an accelerated memory management
for applications using memory pools. Memory pools allow memory
management that reduces the fragmentation of the freely available memory
into small blocks which comes with the parallel operation of multiple
applications at once.


Exec now also contains a mechanism that allows the use of 68K Mac
emulators directly. The Mac operating system requires access to the first
8Kb of the Amiga's memory. This memory area had to be reserved by a
special tool that needed a reboot on earlier Exec versions. Now users of
Macintosh emulators only need one reboot to install the new ROM Update. It
is no longer needed to use a special tool from the emulator package to
remap the memory.


The new Exec also sports lots of bug fixes and minor improvements.

@ENDNODE

@NODE bootmenu "Enhanced boot menu"


The new boot menu support 31 KHz mode by using DblNTSC or DblPAL
monitor drivers with VGAOnly support. So typically there is no longer
a need to use a 15KHz capable display. For compatibility reasons, the
initial mode will still be a 15KHz mode.


To enable the VGA mode, first enter the boot menu by holding down the left
and right mouse buttons after you switch on your computer or reboot it.
The boot menu will be opened in a 15KHz resolution. This is indicated
by a blinking power LED as long as you hold down the two mouse buttons.


When the boot menu is activated, you can use the keyboard combination
CTRL-LALT-DEL-BACKSPACE (that is the CTRL key, the left ALT key, the DEL
key and the BACKSPACE key pressed together) to switch into VGA mode. Your
Amiga will continue to use this mode even when you exit the boot menu to
boot your Amiga.


In addition, you can now also open the boot menu by pressing the HELP
key right after you've switched on your Amiga or rebooted it and holding
it down until the boot menu appears.


@{b}@{fg shine}Warning:@{fg text}@{ub} When you try out these 31 KHz modes using
a 15 KHz monitor you may irrevocably destroy this monitor! Pressing the
ESC key immediately activates the 15 KHz mode again. For this specific reason,
the 31 KHz mode can only be triggered through a rather complex combination
of keys.


@{fg shine}Note:@{fg text} The new boot menu is not available on the first
boot after you have switched on your Amiga. The ROM Update needs to be
installed into memory first.

@ENDNODE

@NODE skipromupdates "Disabling certain parts of the ROM Update"


You can disable certain parts of the ROM Update by changing the SetPatch
call in your Startup-Sequence. There is already an example in the
Startup-Sequence from Boing Bag 3.9-1:

@{code}
If $SCSIUpdate EQ 1
    SetPatch QUIET
Else
    SetPatch SKIPROMUPDATES "scsi.device" QUIET
EndIf
@{body}

When the variable SCSIUpdate is set to 1, the ROM Update will be installed
completely. Otherwise the driver "scsi.device" will not be installed. This
is necessary when IDEFix is used for example.


When you enter the command "SetPatch" in a shell after your system has
booted, you will get a list of all installed ROM Updates beneath some
other information. When the ROM Update was installed completely the list
should look as follows:

@{code}
ROM updates installed by SetPatch:
        shell, shell 45.7 (13.01.2002)
        console.device, console 44.8 (12.6.2001)
        ram-handler, ram 44.23 (8.4.2001)
        scsi.device, IDE_scsidisk 43.43 (16.1.2002)
        FileSystem.resource, filesysres 45.10 (3.8.2001)
        filesystem, fs 45.13 (3.8.2001)
        bootmenu, bootmenu 44.4 (1.12.2001)
        exec.library, exec 45.20 (6.1.2002)
        AmigaOS ROM Update, ROMUpdate 44.56 (10.2.2002)
@{body}

Using the argument SKIPROMUPDATES you can now disable one part of the ROM
Update, e.g.:

@{code}
SetPatch SKIPROMUPDATES "exec.library"
@{body}

You can also disable more than one module of the ROM Update:

@{code}
SetPatch SKIPROMUPDATES "scsi.device,exec.library"
@{body}

You can also disable the complete ROM Update:

@{code}
SetPatch NOROMUPDATE
@{body}

You can also disable the ROM Update completely by renaming the file
"DEVS:AmigaOS ROM Update".


Please note that you need to use the "scsi.device" IDE driver of the ROM
Update when you want to access a harddrive larger than 7.8 GByte using
the internal A1200 or A4000 IDE controller. When you use IDE-Fix however
you may not install the "scsi.device" IDE driver from the ROM Update. The
IDE-Fix driver already supports harddisks larger than 7.8 GByte.

@ENDNODE


@NODE hdtoolbox "HDToolBox - hiding device drivers"


Using the icon tooltype or shell argument HIDEDEVICES you can add devices
to the internal list of devices that HDToolBox should hide:


HIDEDEVICES=driver.device


When you want to add more than one driver, you can do this as follows:


HIDEDEVICES=(driver1.device|driver2.device)


HDToolBox also supports the tooltype or shell argument MFSAVEPATH. Using
it, you can specify the default path for loading and saving mount files and
RDB files:


MFSAVEPATH=DF0:

@ENDNODE

@NODE credits "AmigaOS developers, betatesters and translators"

See

@{b}http://www.amiga.com/3.9/credits.shtml@{ub}

for a list of all people who have contributed to the success of AmigaOS 3.9.

@ENDNODE