AfA OS 4.8: Installation Report and Dividends

[Weaselrama]

For the past year, I have been on a project of sorts to convert OS3.9 in FS-UAE (060 +JIT+RTG) to the look and feel of OS 4.1. Recently, I installed AfA OS 4.8 with the kind help of AMIGASYSTEM. I would to report the experience and how it finally let me realize this project with great success.

I received the following immediate benefits from its use. The caveat is the conflict in AfA OS with picture datatypes and PeterK's icon.library which is both blessing and curse.

1. The Workbench loads faster - no delay setting the background. My 060-based Workbench was already fast, however, the increase in speed was noticeable immediately and somehow, I was expecting some decrease in performance running an additional software layer on top of OS3.

2. I run an external fan and elevate my MBP when running FS-UAE. The Mac's intake below the hinge is a serious hindrance and design flaw. Prior to installing AfA, my average temperature was 68-69C with a CPU temp of 88-89C. After installing AfA, my average temperature has been 64-65C with a CPU temp of 83C. Again, this is using iStat's fan rules + an external fan.

In the next post, I will address AfA's Prefs and TTF_Manager and their usage.

Here are two screenshots showing what I consider the successful conclusion of the project. Thanks to AMIGASYSTEM also for the glass-like texture for AmiDock. Note the use of anti-aliased TTFs.

[Weaselrama]

I will get to the use of AfA's Prefs and TTF_Manager in the next post. Shown here, is EAB rended in iBrowse with anti-aliased TTFs used in both the MUI framework and in rendered HTML as well. Many iBrowse users do not realize that iBrowse is ridiculously configurable inside and out.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Congratulations you created a nice AfA OS system, regarding the icon text you can also improve them with AfA_Prefs, the contrast with the background is also important.

I noticed on the screenshot Quake, on AfA OS test AWinQuake for Quake 1 and this engine Quake2 for Quake 2

[Weaselrama]

Originally Posted by AMIGASYSTEM

Congratulations you created a nice AfA OS system

I noticed on the screenshot Quake, on AfA OS test AWinQuake for Quake 1 and this engine Quake2 for Quake 2

I'll check those out, thanks. I need to go to bed. Tomorrow I'll continue on with the AfA Prefs setup and TTF_Manager. There's a trick to getting iBrowse to recognize AfA's anti-aliased TTFs and it has to do with how you name the resulting font files.

I couldn't have done this without you!

I won't forget to mention the Great Icon Fall-out I experienced with a warning!

[Weaselrama]

Originally Posted by AMIGASYSTEM

...regarding the icon text you can also improve them with AfA_Prefs, the contrast with the background is also important.

Yes it is. I've been playing with it and some changes that look good on the Bench don't look as good in HTML. It's a work in progress...

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Originally Posted by Weaselrama

There's a trick to getting iBrowse to recognize AfA's anti-aliased TTFs and it has to do with how you name the resulting font files.

I don't really understand what you want to do. Fonts are all available also TTFs

[Weaselrama]

Originally Posted by AMIGASYSTEM

I don't really understand what you want to do. Fonts are all available also TTFs

I have already accomplished what I wanted to do. If you don't rename the TTF file when importing it through TTF_Manager, that is to say, if you leave the ".ttf" attached to the name, the iBrowse HTML font setting won't recognize it. However, if you, for example, imported "MS Reference Sans.ttf" and rename it (in TTF_Manager) to simply "MSReferenceSans" - with no extension- and save it, iBrowse will recognize it as an anti-aliased TTF and use it. It's great!

I'll write more later today on the use of AfA Prefs and TTF_Manager. I'll post some screenshots of both Prefs apps to better illustrate what I'm describing. Ciao!

[Weaselrama]

Originally Posted by AMIGASYSTEM

I don't really understand what you want to do. Fonts are all available also TTFs

Carlo - look at your screenshots, then look at the one I posted of iBrowse above. See the difference? Your TTF fonts aren't anti-aliased - that is, there is no font smoothing. With my method you get to take advantage of AfA's font smoothing (or "anti-aliasing") which, by the way, is what wizard.library does - it is the engine that allowed Amiga Writer to display anti-aliased TTFs - and use them not only on the Workbench, but within MUI AND in the iBrowse HTML settings so that Webpages are rendered with font smoothing.

I wondered about this when you said you preferred ttflib's "TTFManager" app. It works, but it does not take advantage of the Freetype2 library working with wizard.library. It will import TTFs, but there is no font smoothing being performed. You must use AfA's TTF_Manager to be able to display anti-aliased TTFs.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Actually I didn't really understand how TTF_Manager works, the other utility than TTFManager seems to make more compatible many TTF fonts, you can use all the Windows ones.

However, I'm not an expert on this subject, if anyone has any advice on how to best use TTF_Manager I would be happy to.

For the AfA functions have you tried to run MUI Applications with ZUNE ?

ModExplorer: MUI Vs ZUNE

[Weaselrama]

Originally Posted by AMIGASYSTEM

Actually I didn't really understand how TTF_Manager works, the other utility than TTFManager seems to make more compatible many TTF fonts, you can use all the Windows ones.

However, I'm not an expert on this subject, if anyone has any advice on how to best use TTF_Manager I would be happy to.

For the AfA functions have you tried to run MUI Applications with ZUNE ?

No I haven't. I saw the zune.lib in the Optional folder. Zune is based on MUI and I don't really see much of a difference.

I am going to post an AfA TTF_Manager tutorial. I have all the screenshots I need to make it understandable. I'll do this sometime today.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Thank you I think the tutorial will interest many people.


I enclose two videos on AfA OS with WinQuake (Quake1) and Quake2 "By Cowcat" (Quake2) RTG Screem.

WinQuake
https://drive.google.com/file/d/171G...ew?usp=sharing

Quake 2
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XbL...ew?usp=sharing

[Weaselrama]

AfA TTF_Manager tutorial.

After you install AfA OS 4.8 per AMIGASYSTEM's video guide, making sure to download the updated wizard.library from either my Dropbox share (send me a PM with your email if you have a Dropbox account and I'll add you to the shared drive) or from AMIGASYSTEM's cloud drive, you will gain the ability not only to add new window frames and gadgets to your Workbench drive and folder windows, eliminating the need for tools such as VisualPrefs and Birdie, but you will gain the ability to add anti-aliased Truetype fonts not only to your Workbench but to any applicaton which supports your own font choices such as DOPUS 4 and MUI applications such as iBrowse. As noted at the beginning of this thread you will also be able to assign anti-aliased TTFs to the iBrowse HTML font settings - voila - anti-aliased TTF fonts in your Web Browser!

**wizard.library was originally shipped with Amiga Writer. It is the engine which allowed Amiga Writer to display anti-aliased Truetype fonts. This library has been updated but it is not included in the AfA OS 4.8 install archive.**

Anti-aliasing is also referred to as "font smoothing" in both Windows and MacOS.

1. Open TTF_Manager. Choose your installation folder (where you store Truetype fonts *which are not* installed in your SYS:Fonts folder. The font folder's list of fonts will be displayed. Highlight the font you wish to install as shown in the first screenshot. Double-click it.

2. Notice in the upper section the name is revealed *with the .ttf extension.* Delete the ".ttf" and make sure you remove any spaces. Keeping the font name short is a good practice.

3. Notice in the lower section there is a "Size" box. You can enter any value in here to play with the choices - this does not affect how the font is installed. There is nothing else on this screen that needs changed or added. Click "Install" and you're finished.

4. the 4th screenshot is the Fonts.prefs window but it could represent any window in any application in which you can make font choices. The sizes listed in the right-most panel are example sizes only. In the box below it, you can choose any font size you wish. TTFs are scalable!

Caveats: The full .ttf file plus the .otag and .font files will be copied to your SYS:Fonts folder. AfA OS comes with two pre-installed TTF fonts, Vera Sans and Vera Bold. Its .ttf file is stored in SYS:Fonts/truetype. I have not been able to install in this fashion and you can't move the .ttf file out of SYS:Fonts because the .otag and .font files linked to the .ttf file's location.

That's it! Ask me questions if you need to.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Thanks good job, i practically have the same steps and I discovered the arcane reason why not all TTF fonts are available.

In practice the problem arises only if I use MUI's PatchASL, where many TTF fonts are called non-existent "red band", see screenshot.

I need to understand the reason for the behavior, Bitmap fonts are displayed normally

[Weaselrama]

Originally Posted by AMIGASYSTEM

Thanks good job, i practically have the same steps and I discovered the arcane reason why not all TTF fonts are available.

In practice the problem arises only if I use MUI's PatchASL, where many TTF fonts are called non-existent "red band", see screenshot.

I need to understand the reason for the behavior, Bitmap fonts are displayed normally

I was seeing the red "unavailable" message in iBrowse HTML settings. Only the pre-installed Vera Sans and Vera Mono were available. That's when I figured out if you remove the ".ttf" extension when you install them that iBrowse would finally see them and use them.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Yes I suspected it, I had not renamed not to confuse the homonym fonts in Bitmap version, in fact if you notice the font "Arial" shown is probably its homonym, it will appear in the "TrueType" menu.

I'll try renaming it, see what happens.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Ok deleted .ttf extension during installation, GUI PatchASL now recognizes TTF fonts

[Weaselrama]

Originally Posted by AMIGASYSTEM

Ok deleted .ttf extension during installation, GUI PatchASL now recognizes TTF fonts

Excellent! Yup, your HTML fonts are anti-aliased now. You can do the same thing in the MUI settings and set all the buttons and menus to anti-aliased fonts as well, as well as your Workbench.

Does this rock or what?

[James]

Originally Posted by Weaselrama

Caveats: The full .ttf file plus the .otag and .font files will be copied to your SYS:Fonts folder. AfA OS comes with two pre-installed TTF fonts, Vera Sans and Vera Bold. Its .ttf file is stored in SYS:Fonts/truetype. I have not been able to install in this fashion and you can't move the .ttf file out of SYS:Fonts because the .otag and .font files linked to the .ttf file's location.

You can install to Fonts:truetype and then move the .otag and .font files from Fonts:truetype to Fonts:

[Weaselrama]

Originally Posted by James

You can install to Fonts:truetype and then move the .otag and .font files from Fonts:truetype to Fonts:

Ok, let me try this again. I'll let you know, thanks!

EDIT: I thought I'd tried this once. Here are the (weird) results: Even if you choose SYS:Fonts/Truetype as the install directory, TTF_Manager still installs in SYS:Fonts. I tried moving the .ttf (w/o extension as discussed in my tutorial) to /truetype but this renders the font unusable because the links in .otag and .font are broken.

I'd really like to know from the AfA developers how they did this with Vera Sans...

[James]

Originally Posted by Weaselrama

Ok, let me try this again. I'll let you know, thanks!

EDIT: I thought I'd tried this once. Here are the (weird) results: Even if you choose SYS:Fonts/Truetype as the install directory, TTF_Manager still installs in SYS:Fonts. I tried moving the .ttf (w/o extension as discussed in my tutorial) to /truetype but this renders the font unusable because the links in .otag and .font are broken.

I have installed hundreds of truetype fonts to Fonts:truetype this way:

Copy font to SYS:Fonts/truetype/ and select this as the source and Fonts:truetype as the destination in TTF_Manager.
Install font.
Move .font and .otag to Fonts:

Just tried a new font and it works. Haven't tried changing the name during installation, so don't know if that has an affect.

Originally Posted by Weaselrama

I'd really like to know from the AfA developers how they did this with Vera Sans...

It originates from the Freetype2.library archive:

http://aminet.net/package/util/libs/freetype2_lib

It also comes with it's own font installer called FTManager.
With FTManager you can select Fonts:truetype as source and Fonts: as destination. I didn't mention it before because it may have other issues when used with AfA.