====================================================================== _ __ _ <>_ __ _ || /\\ |\ /|| || / ` /\\ || A M I G A U P D A T E /__\\ | \ / || || || ___ /__\\ || -News and Rumors- / \\_ | \/ ||_ _||_ \__// / \\_|| (An Occasional e-mail KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING || Newsmagazine) ====================================================================== AMIGA and the Amiga logo are trademarks of Amiga, Inc. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 990626 J I M C O L L A S W A N T S F E E D B A C K . . . . . . A N D C O M M E N T S O N A M I G A A N D P C S U K R E P A I R C E N T E R ( O R C E N T R E ) O P E N S A M I W E S T U P D A T E A M I G A A N I M A T I O N C O M P E T I T I O N B E T A R E L E A S E O F O S 3 . 5 U P D A T E D O S 3 . 5 F E A T U R E S L I S T 3 . 5 A T A M I G A D O W N U N D E R 9 9 A M I G A F E S T 9 9 - U P D A T E O R I G I N A L N E W T E K E R M O N G O M E R Y D I E S V I R U S Z I I . . . A N D N E W V I R U S C H E C K E R I I N E W B O X E R S P E C S R E V E A L E D A M I D O G ' S M O V I E P L A Y E R N E W S F R O M C L I C K B O O M H A A G E & P A R N T E R N E W S U P G R A D E F O R O P U S M A G E L L A N Editor's Thoughts and Introduction: We're about half way through the year, and what a year it's been so far. It seems there's a genuine rebirth of confidence in the future for Amiga. We have also discovered Amiga's new president is at home on the web, and is actively using it. What a pleasant surprise that's been! We have a number of thoughts from Jim Collas below that were initially shared with the Amiga community through web postings. He's even responded to a letter printed in "Amiga Update", and made sure the facts got to our readers. This is all very good. Perhaps not so good, but who can be sure, the year has seen a rash of "promise to pay or I won't make/write it" marketing schemes. I have mixed feelings about those, but generally don't like them. We hear from a reader on that topic in this issue. I don't want to get into a long "the year so far in review" column, so I'll drop that theme right here. Instead I'll point out that we seem to be missing another issue from the archives, just as we've completed an effort to recover a number of issues that had been lost along the way. This is issue 980525, which I didn't even realize we had. (Embarrassed blush follows.) If anyone knows of or has a copy, please help us out. We'll add it to the archive, and to our newly revised backup plans. One last thing - the Amiga Yellow Pages (http://ayp.amiga.tm) are putting "Amiga Update" online in a snazzy html format. Stop by, take a look, and let them know what you think. Best regards, Brad Webb, Editor ---------------------------------------------------------------------- E-mail to the E-ditor: 14 Jun 1999 Greetings Brad, I enjoy the Amiga Update, and read the posts religiously. I have noticed a trend lately in the Amiga community that is just now starting to take off, the Pre-Pay. I am an understanding individual, I can see that some products may warrant a drastic measure such as this, but it is going too far. First, we have phase5 asking for pre orders for the new G-3 based cards. Thats fine, hardware is expensive and their funds were depleted by an earlier, uhm, boo boo. Since it worked for them, some other hardware producers have followed the lead. But, this deal about Fusion and PCx?? Oh, give me a break! Sometimes, companies just need to take a chance. I might pre-order some hardware, but not an emulator. Did the original version of Fusion do well? Did they make a profit? With the new G-3s coming, I don't see how they could insult us so. Where is it going to stop? Am I going to have to pre-pay for my next pair of shoes before they are made? I'm sorry if I am too loud, but this is too much. I have an A1200(infinitiv tower) 040/32m, and an A3000 that is waiting for a G-3. Anyway, Brad, thank you so much for continuing to produce a fine newsletter. I read it often, and share the content (and the text files) with my non-i-net friends. Until H&P needs 700 pre-orders for os3.6, Dave ~~~~~~ Dave, On balance, I agree with you. I doubt I'd ever do a pre-pay just because it almost feels like blackmail. By the way, you'll have a long wait before you find a pre-pay from Haage & Partner. They've gone on record as stating they don't approve of the procedure, so "OS 3.6" should be free of it. Good for them! Brad ====== 14 Jun 1999 Brad, I have a Gateway Win95 box at home (in addition to my A3000 and A4000). My internal IDE Zip drive on that machine failed, such that you would insert a disk, the drive would start clicking slowly, and nothing else would happen. Gateway replaced it for free. This was discussed briefly in MaximumPC magazine, in an interview with Zip's president. He acknowledge the problem, which seems to have been fixed. Sincerely, John P.S. - I am quite grateful for Amiga Update - thanks! ~~~~~~ Hi John, Glad you're enjoying the Update, and thanks for your information. There is also much information on the net. Point a web browser at any good search engine and look for "Zip" and "click of death". It's amazing how many turn up. Our thanks to all the readers who sent us the URLs of their "favorite" Zip COD sites. Brad ---------------------------------------------------------------------- J I M C O L L A S W A N T S F E E D B A C K . . . 22 Jun 1999 {The following was posted to the net recently by Amiga President Jim Collas. We think you'll find his words very interesting. Brad} > feel free to start a thread here and we shall do our best to give > you the answers you seek, and we shall try to keep it on topic wont > we people ....... How can I refuse such a request? I have many postings and emails about the critical features like CPU, multimedia capabilities, 3D graphics performance, etc. Even though I am a bit rusty from years as a large corporate executive, I have extensive experience as a hardware designer focused on advanced computer architecture so I think I understand these basic requirements. Putting the mainstream features aside, I would like feedback on 3 targeted areas: 1) I would really like some feedback on our overall strategy. I have outlined our strategy in my last two postings in the executive update section on our web page. I would like people to read these and give me some feedback. Focus on the creation of a integrated, networked, and distributed computing environment supporting powerful multimedia computers and easy-to-use information appliances. Keep in mind that we are using the emerging Information Appliance market to build momentum for a new platform. 2) I would also like some input on our implementation strategy. We have spent the last four months researching technology and identifying the best technology available in the world. Many top companies have spent billions of $ generating some very exciting technology. Technology like Java, Jini, QNX, Linux, new CPUs, graphics chips, audio, etc. Our plan is to integrate the best technology in the world into a new exciting computer platform focused on the future. We will do this using Amiga developed object technology, GUI interfaces, industry standards (PCI, USB, etc)and custom hardware. The resulting platform will be revolutionary in nature allowing people to do things they can't do with other computers. This is in the spirit of the Amiga brand and the original Amiga computer. We will also offer a degree of backwards compatibility with the current Amiga. 3) The QNX kernel is very similar to the Linux kernel since they are both variations of Unix. Because of this, we can leverage Linux device drivers and even some applications. What do people think of leveraging resources in the Linux community. They are the other great "non-MS" community. This could help us accelerate our schedule. Remember that the O/S kernel is only a small part of our software and overall architecture. We still have Amiga GUI, Amiga objects, custom device drivers, advanced networking, and the hardware architecture. This is enough for now. One more note, I will be traveling on business for several days and won't have a chance to check this thread until this upcomming week-end. I will look forward to the responses. Sincerely, Jim ---------------------------------------------------------------------- . . . A N D C O M M E N T S O N A M I G A A N D P C S 13 Jun 1999 {the following exchange was between Amiga's Jim Collas and Philip Kaulfuss in the Amiga newsgroups. Severl postings have been combined and edited here. Philip's comments have > preceding them, those by Jim Collas do not. Brad} > Judging from this month's Amiga Format interview with Jim Collas, the > new Amiga is 'just' going to be a very high-spec PC running QNX. I haven't read Ben's write up yet but I don't recall saying anything to the effect that the new Amiga will just be a high-end PC. This isn't an accurate statement if you are referring to a Wintel PC. The new Amiga will be very different than a Wintel PC. The only elements we will share are industry standards like PCI, USB, etc. These are computer industry standards and not Wintel PC standards. I think it's obvious why we need to support good industry standards when possible. CPU and core chipset will definitely be different and we are still evaluating graphics alternatives. The O/S, GUI, APIs, software structure, etc. will all be completely different. The new Amiga will be as similar to a Wintel PC as the Apple Mac is. > I didn't have Wintel in mind: I think it will take after the PC > in that it will be using standard components. Thanks for the clarification. Our plan is to integrate the most impressive emerging technologies into a unique and exciting solution. There are many great companies working on exciting technology for next generation computers in general. Many of the companies are only working on pieces of the solution and don't know exactly how to bring their technology to market. Our value is to pull it all together. We are also looking at ways to emulate parts of the original Amiga at lower levels. Once we release more information I think Amigans will be very excited about the new Amiga. > Well, if I heard right, the MMC was supposed to be a completely > secret chip made by a reasonably well-known company who were not > known for making CPUs. Seeing as evaluation of several CPUs is > underway, I'm just wondering if there was much truth in the original > MMC announcement. I understand. I can't comment on this without disclosing more than I should at this time. This is tough for me also since I am personally anxious to share more with the Amiga community. We will have more details at WoA and AmiWest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- U K R E P A I R C E N T E R ( O R C E N T R E ) O P E N S FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE IAT Manufacturing Amiga Service Centre 15 June 1999 IAT Manufacturing is to offer an Amiga repair and Service centre facility as from the 20th of June this year. As part of an ongoing expansion into the mainstreem Amiga Market our Engineering Dept. has made the decision to establish an Amiga Repair system. We will be providing the following facilities: If you have a: Faulty, 'Flakey' or Dead machine, email: IATtheta@netcomuk.co.uk for your free no obligation quotation. Also See our web site: http://www.freeyellow.com/members7/IATmanufactuirng/Repair.html *_Repairs_* - Work done on all Amiga machines including: o Replacement of custom Chips, ROM(s) & CPU's o Replacement of damaged connectors o Repair to PCB tracks o Repair to Keyboards and mice Charges: £25.00-£30.00 (Including most parts) - Quotations given free of charge. *_Other Services_* o Keyboard Re-spring & clean (£3.50) o Case & motherboard clean (A600/1200 £2.50 - A1500/2000/3000 £3.50 - A3000T/4000T £4) o Custom system upgrading - we will find the best upgrades and expansions to suit your needs and install them both Software and Hardware Regards IAT Manufacturing Engineering -- ****************** IAT Manufacturing - Impulse 5307 - - Logic Design Services http://www.freeyellow.com/members7/IATmanufacturing/index.html ****************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A M I W E S T U P D A T E 16 June 1999 Jim Collas, AMIGA President, will be conducting a joint conference at AmiWest in Sacramento and World of Amiga in London on Saturday, July 24, 1999. Mr. Collas will be in London, but will be talking via a trans-Atlantic phone connection to the attendees at AmiWest. The joint presentation will occur at AmiWest in Sacramento at 11 a.m. and in London at 7 p.m. Mr. Collas will be revealing the latest developments on the new hardware and software planned for release in the late 4Q of this year. AMIGA has also announced that the following AMIGA personnel will be at AmiWest99: o Jim VonHolle, Vice President, Marketing and OEM Sales. Jim brings a strong background in product and marketing strategy to AMIGA with experience in business and relationship management. He has great experience and insight into the computer software and Internet industries. Jim will be speaking at the AmiWest99 Saturday night banquet. o Bill McEwen, Marketing and Software Evangelist. Bill has over 12 years experience in the Sales and Marketing field, most recently with the Atrieva Corporation. He has worked for several software companies throughout the years, including ConnectSoft, Inc.; genSoft Development Corporation; and Bumblebee Software. He also has extensive experience with sales, marketing and PR in the US and Europe; and international OEM sales and licensing. Bill has been responsible for several magazine awards and Best of Show at the Fall Comdex in 1994. Attendees at AmiWest98 will remember Bill as one of our banquet speakers at the 1998 show. o Darreck Lisle, User Groups Coordinator. Darreck has been an avid Amiga user for over 10 years. A key player in interfacing with the current Amiga Community, and organizing shows, the focus of his work is to keep the community strong and give it a sense of direction. He has a degree in Law Enforcement, with 5 years experience in Information Technology. Remember, AmiWest99 is being held on Friday through Sunday, July 23-25, at the Holiday Inn, Sacramento NorthEast, in Sacramento, CA. Classes and seminars will be held Friday through Sunday with the exhibit hall being open on Saturday, July 24th from 10 A.M. - 5 P.M and Sunday, July 25th 10 A.M. - 4 P.M. Specially priced tickets for AmiWest99 are available in advance by mail. Prices are: two day admission tickets, $12 and one day admission ticket, $8. If you elect to purchase tickets at the door, the prices are: two day ticket at the door, $15 and One day ticket at the door, $10. There will be a banquet dinner on Saturday evening, July 24th. Price is $35 per plate. Banquet tickets must be purchased in advance. They will NOT be sold on Friday nor Saturday due to the hotel needing attendance figures for planning the banquet. You can mail your requests for advanced admission and banquet tickets to: AmiWest99 c/o Sacramento Amiga Computer Club P.O. Box 19784 Sacramento, CA 95819-0784 Make checks payable to "AmiWest". Special hotel room rates are available at the Holiday Inn for those attending AmiWest99. Room rates are $ 79 (Single) and $ 89 (double) if reservations are made by July 1. You must mention that you are attending AmiWest to get the special rate. You can phone the Holiday Inn at 1-916-338-5800, 1-800-388-9284 (Tool Free - Hotel directly) or 1-800-465-8329 (Toll Free - Holiday Inn Reservation Number) to make hotel reservations. Hope to see you at AmiWest99 on July 23-24, 1999. John Zacharias, Chairperson, AmiWest99 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A M I G A A N I M A T I O N C O M P E T I T I O N June 17, 1999 Big Animation Competition Powered by Amiga AMIGA International, Inc. in Langen, Germany is looking in co-operation with IOM Film and Video productions in Hof, Germany for the best video trailer for the new Operating System 3.5. You can win 3 Amiga 1200 HDD Magic Pak (value DM 500,-- ea.) and 25 of our new OS 3.5 (value DM 99,50 ea.) What you need to do is to produce a trailer animation only with Amiga software about 30 seconds long. Of course, the combination of video sequences and audio is allowed. Your win option increases the more professional and original the result is. Deadline is October 15, 1999. Everybody can be in! With participation in the competition all rights are ceding to AMIGA International, Inc. All trailers sent must be free from third party rights. The prize award takes place at the "Home Electronics World" in Cologne on November 14, 1999 at 2 p.m. To support you AMIGA International, Inc. will put all necessary logos on their webpage http://www.amiga.de. The trailers must be sent in a video format. Please send the trailers to: AMIGA International, Inc. Robert-Bosch-Str. 11 b D 63225 Langen /Germany Code Word : Trailer Competition For technical questions please contact: IOM Film- und Videoproduktion Kornhausacker 56 D-95030 Hof/Saale Tel. 09281-65325 Fax: 09281-64705 email: info@messefilme.de http://www.messefilme.de ---------------------------------------------------------------------- B E T A R E L E A S E O F O S 3 . 5 For immediate release: June 16, 1999 - San Diego CA, Langen Germany - Amiga announces the public beta release of OS 3.5. Amiga and Haage and Partner have announced the public beta release of OS 3.5 for the Amiga. The first external beta version of 3.5 is shipping this week. The beta product testing will continue over the next several weeks until the final product is completed. Beta testers have been selected from all over the world, reflecting the global nature of the Amiga Community. "We are excited to be so close to the release of 3.5. We realize it has been a long time since there has been an OS update for the Amiga systems and we want to make sure there is an ongoing and active interest in the current generation of Amiga systems as we move towards the release of the new Amiga products" said Jim Collas, President and CEO of Amiga. We have been working with Haage and Partner to deliver an exciting upgrade and we now look forward to working with the external beta users to test and finalize the product for release this summer. OS 3.5 can be pre-ordered through your favorite Amiga dealer. Many are also accepting internet orders. Continue to watch the Amiga.com web site for more details, as we get closer to the release of OS 3.5. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- U P D A T E D O S 3 . 5 F E A T U R E S L I S T BENEFITS OF THE AMIGAOS 3.5 UPDATE Easy Internet Access (updated 22. June 99) Support for Hard disks > 4GB Modern Graphical User Interface (GUI) (updated) Extensive CD-ROM support Support for current printers PowerPC support HTML Online Documentation Bug Fixes (updated) Enhancements (new) EASY INTERNET ACCESS TCP/IP Stack (updated) o Easy to setup the connection to your provider within minutes (automatic configuration utility that detects IP addresses, netmasks, DNS servers, dial script and all other required information by itself) o Multi interface support (Internet and Ethernet) o Support for multiple configuration files, e.g. for multiple Internet providers (updated) o Integrated TCP/IP protocol stack with built-in PPP, SLIP, INetD, SANA-II and usergroup support (updated) o Comprehensive PPP implementation with support for PAP and CHAP (updated) o Latest Socks v4/5 client module for firewalls o Enhanced SANA II support for fast transfer rates o SANA-II R3 support for newer Ethernet drivers (comes with a set of optimized MNI Ethernet drivers for all Amiga Zorro-II Ethernet boards that provide faster data transfer than ordinary SANA-II drivers) (updated) o Multi user support o Supports analog modem lines, ISDN boards, ISDN TAs, PPP, SLIP, Slirp, TIA, ADSL, cable modems, Ethernet LANs, Arcnet LANs, parallel links and several other types of connections (includes comprehensive modem and ISDN database) (new) o Support for DHCP and BootP (important for ADSL and cable modems) (new) o Option for automatic hang-up on inactivity, and option to prevent the ISP from hanging up on inactivity (new) o Dynamic DNS cache for faster web browsing (new) o Built-in fingerd, identd and inet-handler (new) o Compatible with bsdsocket.library V4 o OS 3.5 GUI style WWW Browser with Offline/Online support o Browsing the OS 3.5 documentation and the Internet New Cross-Application E-mail Library o General API for sending and receiving of E-mails New E-Mail Client o Based on the E-mail library SUPPORT FOR HARD DISKS > 4 GB NSDPatch o New standard for 64 Bit Devices o Updated Info, Format, Diskcopy and FastFileSystem New HDToolBox o The low-level library processes the following tasks o Scanning the SCSI bus o Read the physical information of the hard disk o Read/write the logical information (RDB) o Create Mount files o Read special Mount entries to restore the RDB o HDToolBox application that uses the low-level library o New GUI style MODERN GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE (GUI) New Icon Set (Glow Icons) o New complete icon set for all system tools o New icons for most applications New Icon Library o Icons with up to 256 colors o Automatic color adaptation o NewIcon compatible o Compatible to OS 3.1 icons o New API functionality (updated) o Faster and more robust (updated) New BOOPSI Library o New complete set of powerful BOOPSI gadgets o Very fast, modular and scalable o AmigaOS compatible implementation o Compatible to existing BOOPSI classes New Resource Library o Loads and manages all GUI resources o Change the GUI without recompilation of the application o Can be used with any programming language New GUI editor for developers o WYSIWYG GUI editor o Creates resource files that are used by the new resource library o Automatic localization of the application Updated and enhanced Workbench (new) o More responsive user interface (new) o Progress requester for copy/delete (new) o Enhanced information requester (new) o Smart display update (new) o New keyboard control functionality (new) o New API functionality (new) EXTENSIVE CD-ROM SUPPORT CacheCDFS o ISO9660, RockRidge, Joliet (Win 95/98) and MAC HFS compatible o Supports Amiga protection bit and file comments o MultiSession CD-ROM support New PlayCD o (programmable) Audio player for SCSI and ATAPI CD-ROM drives o Low memory consumption New CDFSPrefs o CacheCDFS preferences for 'on the fly' configuration FULL PRINTER SUPPORT New Printer Device o Drivers for all common printers o PowerPC support o New functions to print all kinds of bitmaps o New API to define page size and page break correctly o Support for 24 bit Picasso96 DumpRastPort command o TurboPrint compatible functions to print 8 Bit chunky and 16/24 bit bitmaps New Printer Preferences o Updated for new GUI style POWERPC SUPPORT New WarpUP PowerPC Support o AmigaOS compatible integration o Extensive functionality o Hardware independent driver system, easy to extend New Preferences o Updated for new GUI style HTML DOCUMENTATION New Comprehensive Instructions o Reworked documentation for Workbench, DOS, ARexx and Harddisk o Completion of all the new features of AmigaOS 3.5 o Extensive illustrations o Bilingual English/German BUG FIXES o Corrections to improve overall robustness and to fix long standing bugs (updated) o Reworked A2024 monitor driver o Reworked CLI command (Join, Status, Type) o Reworked IPrefs command (more robust, better Workbench pattern support) (new) o Reworked LoadWB (new) ENHANCEMENTS o Updated asl.library (more responsive, faster, enhanced user interface, more robust) (updated) o Updated DataTypes (updated) o 8svx.datatype (now supports stereo sound playback; faster and more robust) o amigaguide.datatype / amigaguide.library (faster, new API functionality) o anim.datatype (now supports all major IFF-ANIM formats; more robust) o animation.datatype (now supports stereo sound playback; more robust; new API functionality; RTG compatible) o ascii.datatype (faster and more robust) o cdxl.datatype (now supports stereo sound playback; more robust) o ilbm.datatype (now supports true color pictures; more robust) o picture.datatype (now supports true color pictures, dithering and color quantization; more robust, new API functionality; RTG compatible) o sound.datatype (now supports stereo sound playback; more robust, new API functionality) o text.datatype (faster and more robust) o New DataTypes for GIF, JPEG, PNG and AIFF file format (updated) o Updated 68040.library (performance improvements) (new) o Updated bullet.library (performance improvements) (updated) o New SCSI Mount tool THE FUTURE (PLANS AND OPTIONS) o Further releases or Add-On packages o New reworked and extended Kickstart o Extended PowerPC support o New 68K Emulator for PPC-only systems o Many new System Libraries as PPC-native ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 . 5 A T A M I G A D O W N U N D E R 9 9 20 Jun 1999 Hello Everybody, As you may or may not know, the worldwide release of OS 3.5 will be at Amiga Downunder 99, Canberra, Australia. This show will be on August 21 and 22. Petro T. will be there, aswell as Jim Collas and Haage & Partner's, Jurgen Haage. For More info go to - http://www2.dynamite.com.au/krash/amigadu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A M I G A F E S T 9 9 - U P D A T E 25th June 1999 AmigaFest 99 (formerly referred to as Amiga Expo 99) at the Dayton Computerfest®, one of the country's largest computer shows, will be held at Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio on 28 & 29 August. It is a show not to be missed for Amiga users and the excitement continues to grow. O.S. 3.5 is to be formally released the weekend before AmigaFest 99 at the Amiga Show in Australia. While it will go on sale in North America at the same time, AmigaFest 99 will be the first Computer Show here where it will be available. We are seeing a lot of new products being announced now and this will be the first opportunity for the users to see them and for the developers and manufacturers to display them in the eastern half of the country. Don't miss this opportunity! This show is being fully supported by Amiga. They have kindly supplied some items for prizes to be given away. We have two Amiga 1200s and several Mice, Pads, and posters to give away. We are also in discussion with Amiga Inc. executives about the possiblity of their attendance. Don't miss this opportunity either! AmigaFest 99 is a unique opportunity for Amiga Users: o It will provide you an opportunity to see and purchase all of the new Amiga products. o It will provide you access to a concentration of Amiga Vendors so you can get the Amiga gear you need/want, often at special show prices. o It will provide you access to an incredible selection of general computer equipment such as drives, storage media, printers, etc., at incredible prices. 4. As with all Amiga Shows, the opportunity to spend time socializing with fellow Amiga Users and Luminaries. An Amiga Get Together off-site, since there are no facilities except snack bars at Hara Arena, is in the planning stages for Saturday night. It will be informal at a facility where we can dine together with a social time following. It will be pay as you go, order your own meals and other refreshments. No formal presentations, unless we have visitors from Amiga, who would be welcome to speak to the gathering. We planning two Amiga forums in the seminar rooms. Additional Amiga presentations are welcome, however, we must commit the rooms before others do. Anyone desiring to give a presentation at the show please contact Ron Schwartz as soon as possible so we can get the rooms committed. The exhibitors that are currently committed to AmigaFest 99 include: o Compuquick Media Center o FWD Computers o Dan's Deals o E. S. Productions o AmiTech-Dayton o AMICON Tentative exhibitors: o Nova Design We have also had initial contact from other vendors, some individuals considering a table to sell some of their old gear, and several User Groups. Vendors, Developers, User Groups and individuals considering exhibiting, demonstrating, or selling, there is no better place than AmigaFest 99/Computerfest®. Cost is only $60 per table and that gives you access to 30,000 attendees. It is surprising too, how many of those are Amiga Users who are not in the mainstream and do not get the magazines or go to the Amiga shows, but come here to get the bargain equipment. It is also amazing how many people with little money find what they can afford in a PC is useless, but an old Amiga, for cheap, is still capable of doing amazing things. AmigaFest 99 at Computerfest® is a unique opportunity both for the user as well as the vendors and other exhibitors. It's a great time to be an Amiga supporter. Don't miss this opportunity to spread the word! SEE YOU IN DAYTON!! Up to date information can be found on the AmiTech-Dayton web site. http://www.coax.net/people/erics/amitech.htm Additional information on the Dayton Computerfest® can be found at www.computerfest.com For further information contact: Ron Schwartz - schwartr@gemair.com Len Carsner - nard@erinet.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- O R I G I N A L N E W T E K E R M O N G O M E R Y D I E S Play Co-CEO and Visionary Paul Montgomery 1960 - 1999, Earth 1999 - , Elsewhere June 21, 1999 - Rancho Cordova, CA - Paul Montgomery, Co-CEO of Play Incorporated, died of a sudden heart attack late Saturday night while vacationing with his wife in Seattle. Mr. Montgomery, 39, served as President, Co-CEO and a member of the board of directors since co-founding Play with his partner Mike Moore in 1994. Mr. Montgomery is survived by his wife, Michele, his parents and siblings as well as his extended family of friends at Play and throughout the industry. "This is an overwhelming loss both for Play and for the entire industry. Paul was a visionary leader and a tremendous force shaping the future of video, communications and the Internet," said Mike Moore, Mr. Montgomery's partner and Co-CEO, "To his family, friends, and co-workers he was a boundless source of wisdom, love and creative energy. Beyond those he touched personally, Paul shaped the lives of millions of people through the ideas, technologies and products he championed into existence." "Paul will continue to touch millions more people through the teams he molded and the powerful visions he seeded here at Play. Paul often said, 'The best way to predict the future is to invent it.' Today, his loving friends, partners and co-workers at Play proudly dedicate ourselves to honoring Paul's memory by continuing forward to invent the future he so passionately believed in." Prior to starting Play, Paul Montgomery was instrumental in launching the desktop video industry. In 1986, Mr. Montgomery left his position as a product manager at industry leader Electronic Arts to join a fledgling company called NewTek. Mr. Montgomery's work catapulted NewTek from a garage startup to one of the most influential companies in video. In 1987, Mr. Montgomery and his co-workers conceived a new kind of video production tool which Mr. Montgomery dubbed the Video Toaster. The Video Toaster is now widely credited with launching the desktop video industry and resulted in a Prime Time Emmy Award for Mr. Montgomery and the Toaster team in 1992. In 1994 Mr. Montgomery left NewTek, and later that year founded Play Incorporated with partner Mike Moore and a close-knit team of former co-workers. Together, Mr. Montgomery and Mr. Moore developed a unique corporate culture based on self-organizing teams and creatively nurturing environments. This innovative leadership has made Play one of the most successful and highly-respected companies in the high-tech industry. In the 1996 book, 'The Age of Videography', Mr. Montgomery was cited as one of the 25 most influential people in the history of video. Mr. Montgomery and Mr. Moore were named recently by Wired Magazine as two of the most influential people in the future of Hollywood. This week Play will launch a memorial website dedicated to Mr. Montgomery where the millions of people he touched can gather to celebrate his life and achievements. The site will be reachable through a link on the Play Incorporated site. Photos and written memories may be emailed to: ThanksPaul@play.com or sent to: Thanks Paul, Play Incorporated, 2890 Kilgore Rd. Rancho Cordova, CA 95670-6133. Play Incorporated was founded in 1994 by a team of well-known computer and video industry pioneers with the goal of bringing high-end video and graphics capabilities to PCs and the Internet. Among its award-winning products are the Snappy Video Snapshot, the best-selling video peripheral in history, Trinity, which revolutionized TV production and graphics throughout the world, Gizmos 98, PC Magazine's 1998 Product of the Year and Electric Image, the low-cost 3D animation software used to create spectacular visual effects for the recently released Star Wars and Austin Powers films. For more information call 800.306.PLAY or visit www.play.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- V I R U S Z I I . . . 25 June 1999 Georg Hoermann has decided to discontinue VirusZ II. The good news is that he is going to keep updating the xvs.library and VirusZ III. VirusZ II was and always will be a very good virus killer, because the brain of VZ II is the xvs.library. Now Virus Help Denmark has recieved the source code of VZ II and they are looking for someone to develop and improve VZ II. If you think you´re the right person for this job, send e-mail to vht-dk@post4.tele.dk telling about you and why we should give you the source code of VZ II. If Georg Hoermann and Virus Help Denmark think you are OK, you ´ll get the source via snail mail soon. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A N D N E W V I R U S C H E C K E R I I 22 Jun 1999 Hello all.... Alex van Niel has been busy again. A new update of VirusChecker II has been released, here is some information about the release: Name : VirusChecker II v2.1 (Brain v2.17) Archive name : vht_vc21.lha Archive size : 560.759 bytes Release date : 22 June 1999 Programmer : Alex van Niel News in this version: - Fixed 68000 related bug. When Xvs was turned on, VirusCheckerII would crash on 68000 machine upon file checking. This was caused by again some register copied wrongly. - Fixed a few problems with Xad support routines. (softlink and directory handling) (to do: error handling better) Thanks to Dirk Stoecker for reporting this - Fixed a bug for unregistered users: no file was scanned for virus (woops) Thanks to David Amies for reporting this - New Features: Icon Window can now also be positioned (separate from Main Window) and snapshotted. Use the preferences program to either snapshot the Icon Window settings or type them in manually. (Thanks to Paul Compton for this idea) VCPrefs: - Fixed problems with loading of config from disk Thanks to a lot of users for reporting this :) - Fixed Format Protection configuration Unreliable results sometimes caused the feature to be disabled and enabled on random Thanks to Pam for reporting this - Added to Format Protection which holds all loaded devices available from which one can choose to protect against formatting - New Features: Snapshotting of IconWindow now possible. (Thanks to Paul Compton for this idea) Installer: - Completely redone installer Made update feature smart Fixed version copy (CBM's Installer program not needed anymore) Thanks to several users and betatesters for reporting problems with the installer, especially Jonathan Jackson. In VirusChecker.brain - Added WireFace/HDToolbox trojan virus - Removed continuous call for Timer.device Amiga Antivirus try: www.vht-dk.dk ---------------------------------------------------------------------- N E W B O X E R S P E C S R E V E A L E D 26 Jun 19999 It has now been quite some time since news first came out about the BoXeR, a fully Amiga compatible motherboard being produced by Access Information. In that time the project has suffered various delays, some to do with the problematic situation in the Amiga market, and others to do with a desire to improve the specification of the product. At last BoXeR is nearing completion. The final board design is due to enter prototyping within the next few days, and a prototype board should be on display at the stand of distributor Blittersoft at the World of Amiga show in London on the 24th to 25th of July. It is quite likely that the board will not be fully functional by the time of the show. Updated specification The main reason for the delays in BoXeR is a radical redesign which will provide a significantly more up-to-date and powerful motherboard than has been previously announced. The board pictured here was the original motherboard design intended to be a modernised A4000 - the new BoXeR contains a far more powerful feature set, close to what had been mooted for the BoXeR 2 in the past. Probably the most obvious improvement is the inclusion on the motherboard of 4 fully active PCI slots, which will enable BoXeR owners to expand their machine with cheap but powerful PCI cards. Although we will have to wait and see which cards will have drivers written for them, we can expect to see SCSI cards, cheap 100MBit Ethernet, powerful soundcards, internal modems and low cost but phenomenally powerful graphics cards such as the Voodoo Banshee which provides better than BlizzardVisionPPC performance for well under £100. However the improvements do not stop there. High speed DMA I/O transfer means that most peripherals will work at high speeds with lower CPU overheads - you'll be able to use fast serial and parallel devices, UDMA hard drives and so on. This, along with ATX formfactor, DIMM sockets and PS/2 peripheral compatibility, will make the BoXeR a very powerful and cheap to expand system. BoXeR is also designed to bring the more specifically Amiga aspects of the architecture up to date. The thing that is most likely to please and surprise the Amiga faithful is that the BoXeR has a highly integrated single chip replacement for the AGA chipset, which is feature compatible but will include significant enhancements, including for the first time a total removal of the Chip RAM barrier. A 64 bit wide connector for a PowerPC expansion card will also allow a cheap solution for future upgrades to G3 or even G4 processors. The latest specifications for the BoXeR motherboard are as follows: o 100% Amiga compatible. o ATX motherboard based on Amiga technology - fits in standard PC Desktop/Tower case.. o Motorola 68040 or 68060 at 25-75MHz supported in a single processor socket.. o Highly integrated single chip chip-set, AGA feature compatible but with performance enhancements.. o Most peripherals support high speed DMA transfers, increasing throughput while reducing processor overhead.. o No CHIP RAM limits.. o 2 x DIMM sockets for combined use as FAST/CHIP.. o Dual IDE Hard disk interface, supports fast IDE modes.. o Flash ROM 2Mb, 32 bit wide. Used for boot ROM's and resident modules.. o Hi-Density floppy disk drive interface, uses standard PC floppy drives.. o CD-ROM audio input connector and mixer.. o Real Time Clock.. o Keyboard port for standard low cost PC PS/2 keyboard.. o Mouse port for standard low cost PC PS/2 mouse.. o 4 x Active PCI slots.. o Amiga Video slot.. o Expansion connector to support 5xZorro 3 slots.. o Connector for full 64-bit PowerPC expansion card.. Connectors : o Printer port.. o RGB video.. o PS/2 Keyboard.. o PS/2 Mouse.. o Serial port.. o Amiga Joystick port.. o Stereo audio.. o IDE - 40 pin (Dual) header. o Floppy drive DF0:/DF1: header. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A M I D O G ' S M O V I E P L A Y E R 13 June 1999 AmiDog's Movie Player - The worlds fastest Movie Player for your PPC equiped Amiga! Another release with some new cool (?) features! IMPORTANT: I've changed the way the prefs file looks, so your old file won't work anymore! o New features: o Frameskip (AMP automatically skips B-frames when required). o Seeking (just hold down the right mouse button and move the mouse left/right). o Uses my AsyncIOPPC (WarpUP) routines for faster playback (+10%). o 15bit now also uses direct gfxmem access. o New way of defining the prefs, you can also use GetBestMode, Requester or PAL. o Removed bugs: o CGFX support only worked on 8/16/32bit screens. o AMP did crash if the MPEG had audio and reported 0kHz as the samplerate. o If the MPEG reports size 0x0, AMP assumes 352*288. o There used to be no way of setting the default path. o Known bugs: o None. o Features to be added (in no particular order): o Custom playback size. o Window playback. o More speed. o AVI/QT/ANIM/FLI/FLC... support. Please don't contact me about problems that are described above! Thanks! For more information: http://www.amidog.com/amp/news.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- N E W S F R O M C L I C K B O O M 24 Jun 1999 The latest developments at clickBOOM: 1. T-ZER0 IS FINISHED ====================== The game is completed and it's currently going through the final stages of testing. We are happy to say that it looks and plays great, and believe you'll enjoy shooting endless hordes of alien scum. Preordering is available until July 15, with lots of special offers and a chance to win a Mikronik Infinitiv Tower with Phase 5 CV64/3D card. T-zer0 site is located at http://clickboom.com/t0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- H A A G E & P A R N T E R N E W S 16 June 99: Tornado3D Special Prices Until 1. July 99 customers of version 1.5 can buy the 3.0 update for a special price of 398 DM (afterwards: 498 DM). Everyone who buys v2.1 now or who had already done so (not valid when you got 2.x by download) will be able to download 3.0 update for free from Eyelight's webpage. Students and owners of competitive 3D programs can get T3D for a special price of 649 DM. 08 June 99: Samples for FontMachine & X-DVE To show you the power of FontMachine and X-DVE to create Internet graphics Klaus Ziereis created some outstanding samples. Please visit our homepage for more news and information: http://www.haage-partner.com/e.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- U P G R A D E F O R O P U S M A G E L L A N 12 June 1999 Free Update Patch for Opus Magellan 5.8 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GPSoftware is proud to demonstrate its continuing support for the Amiga with the release of a FREE UPDATE patch to its popular File Management and Workbench Replacement software, Directory Opus Magellan II. The update is available free to registered users and upgrades Opus Magellan 5.8 to 5.81. While some new features have been added such as support for the NewMouse standard, improved OpusFTP operations, and improved ease of use, this release is mainly a service update providing solutions to a number of issues identified by end users. It is available direct from the GPSoftware web site at http://www.gpsoft.com.au Opus Magellan Clinics at World of Amiga Show, London We are also pleased to announce our support for the World of Amiga show in London July 23/24th. Dr Greg Perry will be running clinics in Opus Magellan installation and useage and will be available to talk to users during the two days of the show. We hope to see you there. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Amiga Update on the net: All back issues available at: http://www.globaldialog.com/~amigaupdate/index.html {Note new address!} Stop by and check out our archive! NEW!! Check us out in html at the "Amiga Yellow Pages" site, http://ayp.amiga.tm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1999 by Brad Webb. Freely distributable, if not modified. ====================================================================== _ __ _ <>_ __ _ A M I G A /\\ |\ /|| || / ` /\\ A M I G A U P D A T E /__\\ | \ / || || || ___ /__\\ U P D A T E / \\_ | \/ ||_ _||_ \__// / \\_ amigaupdate@globaldialog.com ======================================================================