AmigaOS Patch Guide

[ancalimon]

It's difficult to have a stable system after applying many different patches. There are lots of combination and also rom modules that supposedly fix some of the stuff the patches do. The order of patches in your Startup-Sequence and even WB-Startup drawer is important.

What do you think about such a project? A guide about patches for AmigaOS 3.1 & 3.9 ?

For example different variations of essential patches and how to use them on their 020-030-040-060, AGA-CGX-P96 Amigas. (stackattack, mcpramlibpatch, reqattack, cyreq, reqtools, reqchange, mcp, icon.library, cosmos patches, don adan patches, boingbag3&4, loadmodule, blizkick, Picasso96, Cybergraphx, fblit, ftext, etc...)

For example I have installed lot's of them and now trying to drag and drop another icon into rawbinfo's icon information window causes deadend guru. (I will eventually find the problem but still..)

Or for example if I disable assignwedge from mcp but enable it inside reqchange, I get a reboot after choosing an option (like mount or cancel) from the assignwedge window. I use mcp's option to overcome this.

If there was such a guide these kind of set backs could be avoided.

From what I see, there are also lots of people who are reluctant to use for example a very nice patch collection like boingbag3&4. For example most people probably aren't aware that they have to use some kind of stackattack patch.

[midwan]

I like this idea!

I was also considering something similar these days, since I got to do a fresh installation of 3.9 on my A4000 and I had to track down what extra stuff is needed to update the environment.

Although I tried to keep the list to a minimum, it wasn't long after I started seeing instability problems due to combinations of things.

For example, AFA_OS currently doesn't work for me (Line 1111 emulator error on Workbench as soon as LoadWB is loaded) after I switched from CGX to P96, and I'm trying to isolate the component that causes this.

A sort of a wiki in this respect identifying which are the recommended updates/patches and in which combination they cause problems would be fantastic. It should also include information about obsolete patches with newer version of components.

In a perfect world, we would have an updated package of everything you need after a 3.9 installation which is maintained with new releases - perhaps something like the BB4 project mentioned elsewhere in this forum.

[PeterK]

Don't use FBlit and CGX or P96 at the same time.
Don't use AfA_OS and DOpus5.9x together.

[midwan]

Thanks Peter,

I'm not using FBlit at all actually. I am using DOpus 5.91 (the latest dev snapshot) but not as WB-replacement, so I can launch it when I need to.

My problem with AFA OS manifests itself as soon as the Workbench screen is opened during boot, which normally is when LoadWB is called. It is probably a combination with IPrefs calling the selected screenmode as well, since if I try to manually run each line from the startup-sequence except IPrefs (to keep the shell open so I can continue running commands), AFAOS does not crash.

Also, I was testing CGX4 a few weeks ago before I decided to test P96. AFA OS was working for me there, it failed to work immediately with my P96 installation. Since other components were updated at the same time, I'm still trying to figure out which one is causing this since I doubt it's the P96 system in general.

The updates I have in my system are from BB2+BB4, with the addition of the HSMathLibs which I have registered. All the updated modules/libraries are placed in my Deneb. I'm also using MMULib, Poseidon, HappyENV, new layers.library (45.27), new icon.library (46.4.404) and a few BlizKick modules: IntAckFix, FixGetMsg, BBlank, NewAlert.

I just updated some pieces from the latest BB4 package, so I was about to run another test. To simplify things, I was also considering making a secondary bootable partition with the same contents, minus P96 (and put CGX there instead). That way the only difference would be the RTG platform, though I know that some pieces might have to change as well (I believe the new layers.lib doesn't play well with CGX?).

Update: even with the BB4 updates, I still get a crash when WB loads with AFA OS enabled:

Task: 0x087547B0 Workbench
Error: 0x80000003 "DEADEND" by: System: no alert occured
Cause: Illegal address access (ie: odd)

I realize this is unrelated to this thread so I won't bother you any more with it, just wanted to show the kind of problems that could hopefully be avoided if we had a sort of a "wiki" for these things. ;-)

I'd be happy to set-up the platform and host it on a server of mine, if people would help with the content?

[PeterK]

Most critical parts of AfA_OS are graphics_lib.exe, icon_lib.exe and picture_datatype.exe. Try moving them from AfA_OS_LIBS: into the subdir "Disabled".

I also had a conflict between layers.library and AlertPatch in WBStartup. I could solve that by calling AlertPatch >NIL: already in the s-s before loading layers.library.

Update:
If IPrefs crashes then insert Wait 1 or Wait 2 above it.

[midwan]

Thanks for the tip Peter, I'll test and come back with the results shortly. I'm also preparing the secondary boot partition now, to help isolate my problem further.

[midwan]

After doing some more testing, here's what I found:

P96 vs CGX: same results in my system, so we can rule out the RTG platform at least.
Moving the AFA OS libs into a Disabled directory helped, then I started moving them back one by one to find out which one caused the crash: it was icon_lib.exe in the end.

I guess there's something going on with either the latest layers.library or the latest icon.library in combination with it, since those are the only two new components from what I remember, since the system used to work.

I'll try to remove each one and make sure tomorrow, and post my results here in case anyone else runs in the same problem.

Thanks to Peter for suggesting this approach. :-)

[NovaCoder]

A guide is a great idea

My basic rule with patches is that the less you use the better.

[TuKo]

Excellent idea !

[Hewitson]

Originally Posted by NovaCoder

A guide is a great idea

My basic rule with patches is that the less you use the better.

Same here. Sometimes I see people on here list like 20-30 patches that they use and I wonder how their system could possibly be stable.

[midwan]

Totally agree that less is more in this, it's just a matter of which ones to use.

[daxb]

At least some general rules (avoid double patches, order, buggy patch list, read the docs, you have to know what your are doing, ...) for everyone would be fine. Thinks like "this combination will work" is a bad idea.

[Bamiga2002]

Originally Posted by PeterK

...
Don't use AfA_OS...

Aaaaand fixed that for you.
Seriously I can't understand why someone uses this buggy "enhancer". Yes it's nice looking and all but causes all kinds of problems. The first note on the patch guide should be to avoid Afa_OS - until it's fixed to work properly (somehow I doubt this will happen anytime soon...).

[midwan]

:-)

I've opted not to use it after all, it was more a matter of understanding what is causing the instability and why. Eye candy is nice, but if it gets in the way of usability then it's out of the question for me.

However, anti-aliased truetype fonts in the system are also nice. :P

[PeterK]

Originally Posted by midwan

Moving the AFA OS libs into a Disabled directory helped, ...

Usually, this is only required when DOpus5.9x is installed. With DOpus5.82 or the Workbench AfA_OS works stable, at least as long as you use Hi/TrueColor-screens.

... then I started moving them back one by one to find out which one caused the crash: it was icon_lib.exe in the end.

I guess there's something going on with either the latest layers.library or the latest icon.library in combination with it, since those are the only two new components from what I remember, since the system used to work.

No, on my AmiKit 8.1 setup I can use AfA_OS completely installed together with the latest icon.library, layers.library and rtg.library on WB 3.9 without crashes. Did you insert a Wait 1 or 2 above IPrefs ?

@all
It's true that AfA_OS needs its very specific OS environment to run stable. But I don't want to bash against AfA_OS in general here with respect for Bernd, although I dislike the way he tried to extend OS 3.9.

[Bamiga2002]

Not bashing Bernd either, but bugs are bugs. With my former PPC-setup AfA wasn't working very well in many situations, eg. programs not launching, progs crashing etc. I had quite a few progs installed that worked ok without AfA. I still liked the idea and it was nice looking.

[dannyp1]

I guess I'm in the minority in thinking that the more patches I use the better. If the patch is a good patch and fixes a problem or speeds things up I'm all for it. The problem is bad or buggy patches. That's where I think a list like is proposed here would really help.

[Michael Sykes]

Originally Posted by dannyp1

I guess I'm in the minority in thinking that the more patches I use the better. If the patch is a good patch and fixes a problem or speeds things up I'm all for it. The problem is bad or buggy patches. That's where I think a list like is proposed here would really help.

You are not alone.
Here are just a few...

RAWBinfo     - workbench.library
 PNG icon support

AfA          - dos,diskfont,intuition,exec,graphics,gadtools and icon.library
 tt fonts,png icons,32bit skins

MemTrailer   - exec.library
 prevent trashed memory

TagLife      - utility.library
 optimized assembler routines to get a faster TagList support

CoolIO       - dos.library
 datatypes support for old software

MagicMenu    - exec and intuition.library
 popup menus

MCP          - dos,exec,gadtools,icon and intuition.library
 lots of stuff, enable the wrong thing and say hello boot with no s-s

Modepro      - intuition.library
 Screenmode promoter for old software

PatchASL     - exec.library
 a nice MUI replacement

PatchControl - exec.library
 helper tool for MCP (e.g. makes on the fly changes possible)

Scalos       - workbench.library
 just to maintain compatibility

xfdPatch     - dos.library
 open xfdpacked files directly

Not to mention the WBStarup folder.

The whole system feels like a construct of scotchtape,hotglue,nails,staples,skrews,bolts,welding wire,a good amount of luck,lots of time and a tiny little bit solid material.

[daxb]

It is you black list or white list?

[Leandro Jardim]

Someone already did it some time ago:

http://aminet.net/package/docs/help/conflictapro_b
http://aminet.net/package/docs/lists/DatatypesLst25
http://aminet.net/package/game/patch/AmigaPtchListA

There is also one, which talks strictly of graphics patches, but I lost it yesterday, and I dont remember its name now...