Is there a "WinUAE settings" guide ?

[thellier]

Is there someone that did a guide that describe what really do each WinUAE settings ?
Especially the obscure ones

For example:
display/Blacker than black
CPU/JIT/Direct
misc/DirectDraw or Direct3D (naming is clear but why should I use one instead of other)
Misc/startMouse uncaptured
Misc/100/120Hz black frame insertion
etc...

Thanks

[Retro-Nerd]

Check the GUI -> Hardware/Host settings

http://www.vware.at/projects/winuae/

[Anubis]

To be able to open it in Win7/Win10 computers, use this:

http://www.komeil.com/download/1230

ps. you have to modify script to work on win10.

[Retro-Nerd]

There is an online version too but it doesn't seem the latest compared to the CHM help file.

http://www.vware.at/winuaehelp/

[Anubis]

Help file with bit of modification to that script (just change name/version for windows) works fine, like it should.

[meynaf]

There are still several options that are not documented at all in the latest official doc, such as (in hard drives) sparse file, dynamic hdf, (in misc) allow native code, native/rtg on-screen display, blank unused displays...
Many others are documented but in a very imprecise way (e.g. gives choice between x,y,z, without saying what this implies).

I've started to think no full doc really exists

[Toni Wilen]

I can explain them quickly but I don't do documentation as usual

[meynaf]

Why not ?
With more doc many questions/reports can be given an RTFM kind of reply. There is some time investment for this, but it pays off later.
Else the same questions will be asked over and over.

[Anubis]

IIRC - Answer to your question - writing documentation is not (never was) fun. And WinUAE is fun project...

[meynaf]

Looking for documentation that doesn't exist isn't fun either.

[Anubis]

Originally Posted by meynaf

Looking for documentation that doesn't exist isn't fun either.

Nobody is stopping you from making WinUAE documentation page.

Above help is missing little bit, can be improved, but problem is that no one likes to spend time writing it.

[meynaf]

Originally Posted by Anubis

Nobody is stopping you from making WinUAE documentation page.

Then explain me how i can make docs for options i have no idea what they do

[Anubis]

Originally Posted by meynaf

Then explain me how i can make docs for options i have no idea what they do

Boy, wonder you never gonna ask...

Ask here, someone or Toni will reply - you document, move to next 'unknown' etc... and then create help file out of it.

If you decide to create web site with WinUAE documentation, I'm sure RCK would not object to host it.

[meynaf]

Originally Posted by Anubis

Boy, wonder you never gonna ask...

I have already written a few 'unknown' examples above in this thread.
Consider this is me asking.
Now i'm waiting for the replies.

Originally Posted by Anubis

Ask here, someone or Toni will reply - you document, move to next 'unknown' etc... and then create help file out of it.

But can anyone give something that's better than a quick explanation ?

[Anubis]

Dynamic HDF - It grows with data stored in it. *dynamicly, as it's name suggests.

Without checking this box, WinUAE will allocate exact size of HDF file, while if it checked, it will not.

It is similar to VMWare's HD setup, unless you allocate all HD space in setup.


Sparse File - will instead of placing data at it's correct location on HD, create matadata and store data next to each other.

So for example, if you have disk that is 10MB, but only 4MB are used, on host you should have only 4MB file, while WinUAE still sees 10MB.


More on sparse file you can read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparse_file

Not sure why, but I don't think this works right in WInUAE (or I'm just not using it correctly)

[meynaf]

Ok but the difference between the two is unclear. Both just seem to be dynamic HD files.

[Anubis]

From what I know (and it would not be first time I'm wrong), difference is in how image is set and data is stored differently, where sparse creates metadata for empty space.

I do remember who requested dynamic HDFs (and few other things ).... http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=40799

Still waiting on cheat implementation that is not AR.

[LocalH]

Sparse file is an NTFS feature, and thus is quite transparent to the emulator, but won't work on a non-NTFS partition. A dynamic HDF is implemented entirely within the emulator, and thus will work on FAT32, exFAT, etc (at the cost of a tiny amount of performance).

Blacker than black - borderblank black is darker than Amiga #000/000000 black. How exactly is this implemented, Toni? Only way I can see it possible is to raise the black floor from #000000 to some slightly higher value which would seem to me to cause a very minor inaccuracy?

[Anubis]

That option shows 'help tip' when hovering with mouse.

Back to HDF questions, it is possible to have HDF in zip file, but even it shows it's R/W, it actually does not write anything to HDF. Is it possible to make this work and edit/change HDF inside ZIP archive? (or replace disk with temporary copy of HD)

[B14ck W01f]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

I can explain them quickly but I don't do documentation as usual

What a shame.

It would be useful for new users that are starting to get to know the Amiga.