Amiga questions you've always been too embarrassed to ask

[Mrs Beanbag]

Originally Posted by diablothe2nd

here's some tips on why sprite sheets are better than individual files

http://player.vimeo.com/video/44440528

its obviously a more modern take on it, but its totally relevant to amiga

How relevant? The Amiga has none of the limitations mentioned in the video. Bobs don't have to be a particular size, so there's no need for any wasted space by storing them individually. On the contrary, they might not fit neatly into a rectangle without wasting space.

You would waste disk space if you stored them as separate files, but I wasn't suggesting that. You can store them contiguously on disk in a single file (or contiguously in memory for that matter) without them being part of one large image. Computer memory is not two dimensional.

As for part 2, you don't pass the images "into" the Blitter the way you have to load textures into a graphics card. You just pass it their address in Chip RAM. If you were copying your images into Chip from Fast on every redraw operation, that would be a good analogy. But that would be crazy.

[dJOS]

Thanks for the replies on Amiga dos syntax folks, I think it makes a lot more sense now.

[xArtx]

Is there something you can do at run time to make a Guru Meditation happen?

[Jope]

You can code a bug in your software, which will crash the machine, or you can create an alert yourself.

http://amigadev.elowar.com/read/ADCD.../node032E.html regular gurus with the number of your choice
http://amigadev.elowar.com/read/ADCD.../node020B.html free form text

[jPV]

Originally Posted by dJOS

Lol, I still haven't figured out the Amiga dos equiv of cd.. To drop back one directory level

I've never understood that ms-dos style.. why an earth you write them together without even space there, no logic

But as said, on Amiga it's "cd /" or just "/", you don't need to use cd command at least with later versions of the OS.

You can also use several / characters to go certain amount of levels back. For example "///" takes you three levels back.

":" takes you to root dir of the device.

You can also use wildcards with cd command. For example when you're on system partition "cd util#?" will take you into Utilities directory. It's very handy with long directory names if you don't have kingcon or similar in use (after booting without s-s for example). "cd Simon#?AGA" would take you into SimonTheSorcererAGA dir etc...

[xArtx]

Originally Posted by Jope

You can code a bug in your software, which will crash the machine, or you can create an alert yourself.

http://amigadev.elowar.com/read/ADCD.../node032E.html regular gurus with the number of your choice
http://amigadev.elowar.com/read/ADCD.../node020B.html free form text

I mean using an emulator, with access to registers and chip memory and what not.
(by breaking something, or deleting some memory close to the zero vector)..
Not as a programmer on the Amiga side.

[dJOS]

Originally Posted by jPV

I've never understood that ms-dos style.. why an earth you write them together without even space there, no logic

But as said, on Amiga it's "cd /" or just "/", you don't need to use cd command at least with later versions of the OS.

You can also use several / characters to go certain amount of levels back. For example "///" takes you three levels back.

":" takes you to root dir of the device.

Part of the problem for me is our 1st family computer was a IBM PC for Xmas 87 but the 1st PC I bought myself was an a500 in about 93 (I was a poor student) so I got used to ms-dos first.

[jPV]

Originally Posted by dJOS

Part of the problem for me is our 1st family computer was a IBM PC for Xmas 87 but the 1st PC I bought myself was an a500 in about 93 (I was a poor student) so I got used to ms-dos first.

Yeah.. but overall I think AmigaDOS is much more logical than some other systems (like ms-dos)... it's just that people have used to different things and do make assumptions based on that experience.

[Jope]

Originally Posted by xArtx

I mean using an emulator, with access to registers and chip memory and what not.
(by breaking something, or deleting some memory close to the zero vector)..
Not as a programmer on the Amiga side.

If you trash the execbase pointer at memory location 4, you'll end up crashing the machine pretty quick. A guru isn't necessarily guaranteed though.

[xArtx]

Originally Posted by Jope

If you trash the execbase pointer at memory location 4, you'll end up crashing the machine pretty quick. A guru isn't necessarily guaranteed though.

The DOS & Intuition stuff appears to be close to zero,
I'm sure messing with it will have consequences.

Hi, I'm new here. I just wanted to know why the amiga had a power button on the power brick but no power button on the machine itself or on keyboard, while the c64 had its power switch on the side of the machine, and PCs have both a power supply switch AND a power button on the machine?

I say this because they told me I had to switch off the machine only after holding ctrl+ami+ami to reset, but I have a hdd and sometimes by the time I reset the machine and reach all the way over to the power supply switch, the amiga is already booting the hdd and it causes disk errors or fails to boot on poweron. Would it not have been easier to wire a switch under the C= logo or something?

[T_hairy_bootson]

Who told you to switch it off after rebooting? Just switch it off while it is not accessing any disks, hdd or floppy.

Some Amigas do have power buttons or switches. Just not the wedge ones.

[daxb]

Originally Posted by jPV

It's very handy with long directory names if you don't have kingcon or similar in use (after booting without s-s for example).

I like to have KingCON or similar resident to have it also when starting without S-S.

[xArtx]

Originally Posted by Jope

If you trash the execbase pointer at memory location 4, you'll end up crashing the machine pretty quick. A guru isn't necessarily guaranteed though.

It hangs it every time with an emulator, with no guru.

Simply trashing the program that is currently running guarantees one,
but it might go to the requester first, and you have to click Cancel to guru.
Trashing some select memory through trial and error goes straight to guru,
and still able to flash the border, but also had to clear all program graphics
to avoid some graphics artifacts flickering on the screen.

I don't get to choose the error this way.
It would be icing on the cake to invoke the HELP guru 48,45,4C,50.

[xArtx]

So if there's noone else?
CNet was a BBS program that managed to stay relatively un-pirated because
the boards using it would lose their license to use it if they were caught making
the program available for download.

Did anything become of that program?
I imagine it could host a serial network in a home,
and possible provide potential where the CD32 is concerned
(not having a modem capable serial port, but capable of null-modem to the host Amiga).

How unfortunate it must have been when two remote Amigas were trying to access
different files from the same CD drive
One of mine used to announce when they were going to change the CD

[lurch]

Originally Posted by ajk

C:\>cd d:
d:\

C:\>cd d:\

C:\>d:\
'd:\' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

C:\>d:

d:\> (finally)

Makes perfect sense. CD = Change directory, so of course your first command wouldn't work.

D: is a drive not a directory.

Your next command makes sense too, D:\ is not a valid drive name. So when you are typing it DOS looks for that drive D:\ goes doesn't exist then tries to find a command by that name none exist so comes back to you and states that in the error.

Your last command DOS is able to change because that's a valid drive name/label.

As for no spaces needed, it works with spaces as well. But great if you want to be lazy.

DOS also has a great history until you close the sessions. F7 will bring up all commands in that shell/session. Or you can scroll up and down with the arrow keys to select previous commands.

Also most recent DOS versions have tabbing (even powershell) Were you can type part of the name and tab it to complete long names or file paths. Or commands, you can even tab on a blank prompt to cycle through known commands that are in the path.

Linux is also similar, a little more like AmigaOS though. But wont get into that.

[ajk]

The AmigaDOS way of just following any valid path, same drive or not, with an implied "cd" command, makes much more sense to me Particularly as the layout of the OS depends a lot on assigns (soft links), so you often have dozens of "drives".

[retrogamer]

I have an embarrased question.

What is AHI?

I need it to get SCUMM to work is it some kind of sound driver.

Do I need a soundcard for my Amiga?

[prowler]

Originally Posted by retrogamer

I have an embarrased question.

What is AHI?

Read all about it here:
http://aminet.net/package/driver/aud...amigaos-ahiusr.

[Cymru]

Martin Blom has a manual available on the web for his Retargetable audio subsystem that supports a wide variety of audio boards and the native chipset.