February brings good news for the AROS community. After nearly two months of intensive work, we now have a new base version of the AROS x86 system. As promised, this iteration includes a transition to a new C library. While this change may not immediately result in many visible differences for end users, it represents a significant milestone in the overall development of the system. Developers should remember to update their SDKs.
To download the ISO and explore the full list of changes, visit:
https://github.com/deadwood2/AROS/releases/tag/ABIv0_20220318-1
The release of the new base version has also led to the appearance of the updated distribution AROS One 2.4. Due to the number of changes, a clean installation is recommended.
AROS One 2.4
Full list of changes for AROS One v2.4: https://www.arosworld.org/infusions/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=1124&pid=4150#post_3217
On James Mattson’s YouTube channel, you can watch several videos showcasing the operation of AROS One 2.4.
Regarding recommended hardware for AROS, pay attention to two motherboards: ASUS P8Z68-V LX and Gigabyte GA-MA770T UD3/UD3P. I particularly recommend examining the ASUS construction, which is currently the newest and most powerful hardware from the recommended list. It is affordable and widely available on auction sites. If you plan to purchase hardware for AROS, ASUS P8Z68-V LX might be the best choice. The recommended motherboards have long-term support, and all new AROS releases will be tested for compatibility with them.
ASUS P8Z68-V LX motherboard
On my blog, I’ve posted a tutorial on cross-compiling for AROS under Windows with WSL2. Although the procedure is similar to that used in Linux systems, I’d like to remind you that WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) exists and works well. For programmers who want to start their AROS journey, Krzysztof “deadwood” Śmiechowicz has posted on the Aros World forum a resource thread for developers. It contains valuable information and links that will undoubtedly facilitate your start.
The tradition continues with the monthly “Irritating Bug of the Month” survey. This time, the community decided that it would be beneficial to expand the network preferences options to include easy activation of USB tethering.
Irritating Bug of the Month - February 2024
Thanks to tethering, AROS users can access the internet via an Android phone connected via USB cable. This feature allows network connectivity even on devices without supported network cards. Although USB tethering has been present in AROS for some time, many users were unaware of its existence due to the lack of an easy activation option. Now, thanks to deadwood, users can conveniently enable this feature.
USB Tethering
If you want to influence the order of bug fixes, I encourage you to register on the forum and participate in the next poll.
In February, AROS Archives also saw the addition of new programs. Music enthusiasts, graphic designers, gamers, and demoscene fans will find something for themselves! 😊
Feedback (nr 8)
Feedback (nr 11)
(author: Void)
Puni from the demoscene group Void has compiled two music disks for AROS: Feedback Release 8 from 2019 and Feedback Release 11 from 2021. Both productions feature 10 tracks by various authors, and they are definitely worth listening to. As Puni assures us, new Void productions should soon appear on AROS. We eagerly await them! 😊
Feedback 8 & 11
Protrekkr 2 (v. 2.6.6)
(author: Franck “hitchhikr” Charlet)
ProTrekkr is a tracker program that combines a software synthesizer with a traditional sample tracker. It can be used primarily for creating electronic music genres such as psytrance, goa trance, hard acid, IDM, chip, techno, jungle, etc., as well as for small intros, demos, or games. It is a heavily modified version of the old NoiseTrekker 2, originally created by Juan Antonio Arguelles Rius (also known as Arguru).
Changes in the latest version:
- Slightly modified instructions.
- The window now opens in the center of the screen.
- Window size is remembered when returning from full screen.
- Added an option to reload the last-used ProTrekkr (ptk) file during startup.
- Added support for 512 MIDI tracks through bank selection.
- Fixed several bugs related to standalone playback.
- Introduced effects 3F and 40 for adjusting the scale of two 303 units.
- Restored the missing keyboards.txt file in the repository.
- Added effects 29, 2A, and 2B for enabling/disabling track compression, setting the threshold, and compression ratio.
- No longer updates the user interface from the audio thread (which resolved several issues).
- Fixed a bug related to muting notes for 303 units.
- Added a function to swap two instruments within patterns.
- Significantly redesigned portions of the code.
Protrekkr 2
CAMD MIDI Driver (v. 1.4)
(authors: hitchhikr, kalamatee, Alfred Faust, Neil Cafferkey)
A new MIDI driver for AROS.
SonosController (v. 1.4)
(author: Michael Rupp)
SonosController allows you to control Sonos speakers from any Amiga connected to the same network.
Version 1.4 marks the first release for AROS x86.
SonosController
BOH (v. 2.3)
(author: Simone Bevilacqua “Saimo”)
BOH is a dungeon crawler where you must solve puzzles, collect items, open passages, avoid traps, defeat evil bosses, and their minions, and ultimately escape from the mazes in one piece. Keep your cool, avoid enemies as much as possible, focus on the mazes, and eventually reach the end.
The latest iteration of this well-known game, labeled version 2.3, has appeared in Aros Archives. It’s a great opportunity to revisit this title! 😊
BOH
WCS (v. 2.031)
(author: Alexander Fritsch “Selco”)
This is a newly compiled version of World Construction Set 2.031. The application was originally developed by Gary R. Huber and Chris “Xenona” Hanson from Questar Productions. WCS is used for creating fractal landscapes, similar to Scenery Animator, Vista Pro, and Panorama.
While it may be complex for beginners, I recommend checking out the tutorial. The English tutorial is also included in the program archive.
WCS - World Construction Set
Odyssey Web Browser (v. 1.26)
(authors: WebKit Team, Fabien Coeurjoly, Krzysztof Śmiechowicz)
The Odyssey Web Browser has released a new version. The previous version was made available in 2016, and this new release brings a recompilation with a newer SDK and a series of bug fixes. To run this version of Odyssey, you’ll need the latest base system release of AROS.
The browser will continue to be developed. The next step is to release a 64-bit version of Odyssey for AROS, Linux, and Windows systems, while ensuring stability for everyday browsing on Amiga-related websites. Any enhancements introduced will also be available for the 32-bit version of OWB.
Odyssey Web Browser
Several other applications from AROS Archives have also been recompiled to maintain compatibility with the latest build:
- Acidwarp - featuring interesting graphical effects.
- Bad Apple - the famous Bad Apple demo/animation.
- Dosbox - a DOS emulator.
- wput - a command-line FTP client.
- JetPac - The Return - a remake of the classic ZX Spectrum game.