Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Software Issues and Discussion => Topic started by: Rob on August 11, 2007, 01:41:15 PM
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I recently noticed this link (http://www.digitalriver.com/dr/v2/ec_MAIN.Entry10?SP=10023&PN=1&xid=39935&V1=371386&DSP=&CUR=840&PGRP=0&CACHE_ID=0) on the DiscreetFX website.
I'd previously been, as I suspect many others are, under the impression that it hadn't been available for a number of years now.
I didn't know how long ago this link was from so I PM'd Bill Panagouleas last night and he confirmed that you can indeed still by it via the link.
I myself bought it in 2001 and have used it quite a lot over the years because of its many useful and fun features. Although there are a few bugs I can easily recommend it anyone who wants a good paint/image processing application.
I have run it on and A1200 060, Amithlon and OS4, it probably also works on MorphOS too.
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Good to hear some software is available.
And my thoughts on software....
From years of observation,I believe the Amiga vendors have always had a valid complaint in that all too many Amiga users wanted all the professional grade software they could get for nothing. I have been offered several package deals by Amigans who had nice hardware but hardly any original software.One "gentleman" had over 300 pirated programs completed with photocopied documentation.BTW,I passed on it.
So to a great deal,the state of Amiga reflects on its users.
I wonder(POLL? ....POLL,did he say?) how many of the Amiga user ever bothered to upgrade to 3.1 ,how many bought 3.5 (waves hand),how many who post here and elsewhere complaining about OS4(or lack of) have actually purchased and are using 3.9
I am uncertain,but there doesn't appear to be a purchasable Awiga web browser outside of buying the Amiga Forever package for the PC.And would it be legitimate to pull the browser off that and run it on the purchaser's real Amiga ?
For that matter what would be the legality and ethics of a person buying an Amiga Forever CD ,copying the apps and and other useful files to his own real Amiga ,and then putting the AF CD aside.
Amiga software seems to sell on ebay but it frustrating in that used software has no support and somebody usually outbids me while at work or asleep. :roll:
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recidivist wrote:
I am uncertain,but there doesn't appear to be a purchasable Awiga web browser outside of buying the Amiga Forever package for the PC.And would it be legitimate to pull the browser off that and run it on the purchaser's real Amiga ?
For that matter what would be the legality and ethics of a person buying an Amiga Forever CD ,copying the apps and and other useful files to his own real Amiga ,and then putting the AF CD aside.
I would have thought that, unless the license specificallys states the software could only be used with Amiga Forever, that it would be perfectly legal as you would have a valid license. Especially if the only copies of those apps would be that one Amiga (although legally I think it would be dodgy to buy one copy of Amiga Foerver and use that on several real Amigas.)
Matthew
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I will put the same message up here I put on aworld..
PLEASE GO BUY THIS SOFTWARE it's a NEW LINK. I have been to this site MANY TIMES.
This is such a typical community response, instead of saying "wow" this program is STILL available for sale, when a lot of other companies have failed or just totally left behind, some people here are negative about it.
As a community we don't have many options as far as real live for sale software anymore. Instead of talking about how buggy it is. We don't actually know until someone buys it which version it really is. We all should be downloading the heck out of it especially at that price. If we want to show that the community is still alive and will buy software we should support software companies that make the effort to make something available.
I can't believe the response on this. I can tell you I have been to idruna's site a number of times before this thread became active and that link wasn't there. They mentioned the software but you couldn't buy it from them.
Shame on you guys for trashing software when there is so little of it out there and available. On principle I am going to BUY a copy of it just to show that the community is alive and wants to stay alive.
Will anyone do this with me, to start showing companies that make Amiga products available that they should be supported? I don't care what the Admin here says, I am buying it, just because I want Amiga software to live in an ever shrinking community. I remember using this product back in 1996 (I believe). It wasn't that buggy and it worked great with a high color graphics card.
Attitudes about products like the one above is why the community is *DYING*
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Will anyone do this with me, to start showing companies that make Amiga products available that they should be supported
Real Amigan should buy the same software 1000 times. Not because he needs 1000 copies but show there is demand. *grin*
If someone needs it he should buy it. If not, why waste money? It is like downloading the software from Aminet only to increase download counters.
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Attitudes about products like the one above is why the community is *DYING*
Gimmie a break.
What attitudes are you talking about? I don't see any attitudes so far on this thread...
I have legit copies of art software. I don't 'have' to shell out money for something I dont need to show support. I show support by using my A2000 and upgrading it to make it do what I want.
This is my opinion only. The statements apply to me.
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I plan to buy it, too. For the record, all the software I "have", I own.. as in bought, including OS 3.9.
Actually, thats not quite true. There's one exception. Its a famous TCP/IP stack that starts with 'M'. Don't get me wrong, I would much rather use a legal copy. If someone could tell me where to send my shareware fee, I would do so immediately. However, something tells me that ain't gonna happen.. :(
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I have only an occasional need for this kind of software. I certainly don't want to spend $75 if it has major problems, is incompatible, etc.
I have Photogenics version 1.2 from a cover disk. It's design and user interface suit me but it's abilities are limited. On A-World, there were a couple of opinions (neither very useful sinse they didn't list what OS or hardware they were running) about the bugs in version 5. One guy seemed to happily work around the few problems and the other was disappointed and seemed to indicate that the software was nearly unusable due to instability. What, specifically, were the problems? What were the versions in between like?
I run OS 3.9 on a 68060 with a Picasso IV.
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Look, 1.2 was a cover disk. Remember that software was very LIMITED in the first place. You don't know it has major problems. The last version I used was a great tool, and competitive with photoshop 6 at the time. I do this stuff for a reason. Stop listening to just wrong inuendo.
Go to their website and review what this product does. It was one of the best classic Amiga software programs outside of ImageFX and Adobe Photoshop. I just purchased it, and it works great for me on both my 1200/030 and superbly on WinUAE..
I can't find any bugs, that they are talking about. However I am using a classic Amiga. It loves the high resolution screen of my WinUAE too..
I don't believe the comments there, I feel it's more sabotage of a software product, which even if it isn't perfect should see our support even if it's not bad. The price when compared to something like photoshop elements.
The truth is hard for people here to accept, but we don't have many software vendors left.. If Idruna is nice enough to bring back the product there must be a demand for it, and honestly we as a community need to support the people that do.
That's really why we don't have any new software anymore. If there is a demand and it's profitable people will keep the platform alive..
$75 is not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things, especially if it fuels future development (which one of the a-world guys already said isn't happening). Also, try going to buy photoshop elements the low end product and see how much you pay..
What does that guy on Aworld know he know? If people buy the product and generate demand, maybe it will get a funded upgrade. If the product for $75 does even half of what the Pocket PC version (which I have worked with the trial of), then it's a great product.
And if you think the platform isn't dying, why is there so much complaining about no new software for OS 4..
Come on folks, to go forward a whole attitude change is necessary. Stop being so reticent.
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Did the download include a user manual, documentation?
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It's good to see that Paul Noland, original author of Photogenics, is still develop/supporting this fine piece of software, eventhough it has been ported to windows... I don't see a link on the main Idruna site to the page for the Amiga version and the page does not display the amiga release version, although DiscreetFX claims that it is version 5.
Photogenics2 was originally distributed by Almatheria, who shanked Paul out of the rights to the program. He spent some time in court securing the rights to the name and program code of Photogenics. Our computer club, STAG, helped Paul distribute/sell Photogenics4 at AmiWest in 1999.
Will I purchase the new version for my Amiga? Eventually. Will I invest 600 plus $ for the windows version? Very doubtful. Besides, I've already spent hundreds on Photoshop upgrades for the Athlon.
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@ DonnyEMU
You feel like ImageFX was better or simply in the same ballpark?
I have ImageFX 2.6 fron another coverdisk or already installed on hardware that I bought. Anyway, I have no docs and I find IFX less than intuitive to use without a lot of experimentation.
PG does seem more user friendly.
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Well being one of those guys on that thread :-o
I run or have run Photogenics version 5 on Windows XP ( windows native version), Amiga forever (3.1 Amiga version)
A4000 PPC/060 with Picasso IV and OS3.9 and currently a MicroA1 with OS4, I've had the odd glitch on all OS versions but its hardly unusable I mean what software doesn't throw a glitch every now and then :-D
It could do with being Updated sure, maybe Discreetfx might ask Paul if that's possible by a 3rd party
( on the Amiga side I have had every version)
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Tenacious wrote:
Did the download include a user manual, documentation?
Well you get some(4) Tutorials in html format
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T3000 wrote:
It's good to see that Paul Noland, original author of Photogenics, is still develop/supporting this fine piece of software, eventhough it has been ported to windows... I don't see a link on the main Idruna site to the page for the Amiga version and the page does not display the amiga release version, although DiscreetFX claims that it is version 5.
Photogenics2 was originally distributed by Almatheria, who shanked Paul out of the rights to the program. He spent some time in court securing the rights to the name and program code of Photogenics. Our computer club, STAG, helped Paul distribute/sell Photogenics4 at AmiWest in 1999.
Will I purchase the new version for my Amiga? Eventually. Will I invest 600 plus $ for the windows version? Very doubtful. Besides, I've already spent hundreds on Photoshop upgrades for the Athlon.
That $600 is for the HDR version you can still get the Windows version for $79 actually the HDR is on offer $399 at the moment :-)
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@Tenacious
Did the download include a user manual, documentation?
I got a friend to print off the manual on A4 for me and it's about as thick as a typical PC mag, so there's a reasonable amount of reading material included. Amiga Active did a nice tutorial on it too.
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The last I heard of it, there was some kind of lawsuit happening over the name Photogenics. I guess they won.
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Tenacious wrote:
You feel like ImageFX was better or simply in the same ballpark?
I've had every version of ImageFX since 3.0, and I also use Photogenics 5.0. Photogenics is a much better paint package than ImageFX, but IFX is more powerful when it comes to image processing, especially when multiple layers are used.
Photogenics is a little buggy, but for the most part it's very usable. I don't think it's any more buggy than ImageFX is. They both have their moments. Photogenics' drawing tools are more powerful than ImageFX's, and it has a more interactive method of undo.
I have no docs and I find IFX less than intuitive to use without a lot of experimentation.
ImageFX is quirky at first, and I was pretty clumsy with it until I picked up the Catalyzer videos. They're pretty good at introducing a lot of ImageFX's layout and capabilities. I have a large number of notes and diagrams from the times I taught others about ImageFX. If there were enough people who'd be interested, I might assemble them into a usable collection.
ImageFX draws a lot, and I mean A LOT, of power from ARexx scripting. Without documentation, that aspect of the program is lost.
PG does seem more user friendly.
I use ImageFX a lot more than PG, so I've gotten familiar enough with it that it's my first choice. I did pick up quite a bit about Photogenics from the tutorials, but some of its features still seem a little obscure.
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@Roj
I for one would be very interested in your notes on ImageFX. Please let me know if you ever decide to assemble such a volume. Thanks
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stopthegop wrote:
@Roj
I for one would be very interested in your notes on ImageFX. Please let me know if you ever decide to assemble such a volume. Thanks
You could try this Cecilia ImageFX tutorials on CD (http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=47056)
Go on you know you want too :-D
Psss Its on the front Page
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@ roj
Thanks for the detailed and dis-passionate comparison. This helps a lot.
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I think they are very different types of products. ImageFX is more like an image processing product with other function. When Photoshop came out the market changed, suddenly things like image processing were expected in a program. ImageFX isn't designed to be, (hmm how can I put this) "painterly" (in the Fractal Design Painter tradition now Corel Painter) than ImageFX. The price of the Idruna product is cheaper, and I like it as a product.
In the old days of the Amiga, people would see the difference in the direction of these two packages, but I just don't think many current Amiga users are used to sub-genres of graphics programs.
In a world of graphics packages that now try to be all things to all people now, the differences in who this program would appeal to. I would consider this program for anyone who really wants paint type features. If you need to touch up a photo, ImageFX would be your package.
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DonnyEMU wrote:
Snip
In a world of graphics packages that now try to be all things to all people now, the differences in who this program would appeal to. I would consider this program for anyone who really wants paint type features. If you need to touch up a photo, ImageFX would be your package.
Actually I use Photogenics for touching up most of my photos, clone tool, tinting, transparency, Titles etc and ImageFX for adding Effects and cropping ,distortions etc
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I have some questions:
1) Does anyone know why there's no link to this page from Idruna's store page?
2) There's a manual? Is it in PDF format? Can it be loaded into aPDF (handles ver 1.3) w/o errors or will I need to print it off on a PC?
3) Which version is it, 5.0?
I do plan to purchase this.
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AJS wrote: That $600 is for the HDR version you can still get the Windows version for $79 actually the HDR is on offer $399 at the moment :-)
Shazam! Did not see the $79 windows version. Will defienatly scrape some dough together for that. $400 offer for the HDR windows version... hmmm. Might reconcider that. sooo much for my collage fund. :-D
I dug out my Photogenics 4 cd and am having problems installing it on my A4000D 0S3.5 :-?
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Rabbi wrote:
I have some questions:
1) Does anyone know why there's no link to this page from Idruna's store page?
2) There's a manual? Is it in PDF format? Can it be loaded into aPDF (handles ver 1.3) w/o errors or will I need to print it off on a PC?
3) Which version is it, 5.0?
I do plan to purchase this.
Hi Rabbi
1) Well you can get to it from the Idruna website but it is obscure and in a very convoluted way (more by luck) :-o
2) Docs and 4 tutorials come in HTML format there are 2 more later ones on the website
3) yes its version 5 (Amiga version should be release 121)
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I've added this poll (http://amigaworld.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=23948&forum=32) at Amiga World.
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@DonnyEMU
Stop preaching, if people want to buy something buggy and unsupported which has no future then they will do so (like the amigaone). If they don't then there is no need to slag them off as not everyone in this community will kiss ass just to be in the Amiga gang.
Attitudes about products like the one above is why the community is *DYING*
Your lick arse attitude is hell of a lot worse and does more damage than good.