Amiga X1000 software lineup

[eliyahu]

The only software generally comes from the community, other than the OS itself.  There's just too small of a market unless you see things as a "labor of love".  It is getting better as a whole, however.  There is generally a solution/program that will do most of what you need.

Software availability has always been an issue for OS4 machines, and the issue will remain the same regardless of whether it's a lowly SAM 440 like I have or a powerhouse like the SAM 460 or X1000.

that's very true.  there is plenty of software out there, but in each category not a tremendous amount of choice when compared with mainstream platforms.  i find most of my computing needs have solutions on my SAM excepting productivity applications compatible with more popular office suites.

but there is still plenty of great stuff to use. for example, on my SAM, here are some of the applications i use:

productivity
abiword (amicygnix)
gnumeric (amicygnix)
amigawriter 2.2
finalwriter 97
MUIbase
turbocalc 5
wordnet
wordworth 7

audio
adripper
amigaamp 3.1
amipodder
amisounded
hd-rec
hivelytracker
milkytracker
schism
tunenet

video
blender
dvplayer
mplayer (and mplayer GUI)

emulation
amiNES
basilisk 2
DOSbox
E-UAE (with RunInUAE)
Hatari
KEGS
VICE
WarpSNES

graphics
aladdin 4D
amifig
arteffect 4.0
drawstudio
fxpaint 2.0
grafx
imagefx 4.5
perfectpaint
photogenics 5 (not vert stable, though)
personal paint
TVpaint

internet
the AAMP stack
amitwitter
clipdown
ctorrent
jabberwocky
OWB 3.31
OWB (MUI)
pftp
netsurf 2.8
newscoaster
simplemail
timberwolf alpha
transmission
twinVNC
wookiechat
XNet-RSS

astronomy
3Dstars
celestia
digital universe

... and a ton of games and utilities, text editors, viewers, etc. and i can do everything i would on my PC: network connectivity to windows and UNIX boxs, ability to view just about any file format around, postscript-compatible printing, the lot. i would think the biggest barrier to entry is mostly the price of the X1000. there's tons and tons of stuff out there game-wise, and if you don't mind using classic software, tons of general applications as well.

-- eliyahu

[eliyahu]

@eliyahu

While you provide a nice list, aren't many of these packages (or similar) usable on our old 68K-based machines?  What is the incentive to move over to PPC?

that's an excellent point. performance is one, but then again, even the fastest mac running MOS or NG amiga running OS4 is going to have a hard time against a modern PC with UAE. for me i very much enjoy the more 'modern' feel to workbench, the fact that networking is built-in and 'just works,' access to more modern web browsers, the few powerpc-only games that are out there, etc.

there are lots of reasons a classic amiga user might want to look into MOS or OS4, but, as i was never a classic user, i'm probably not a good guy to ask.

i just provided the list to mention that there is plenty of good software that does run seamlessly on the NG systems, the X1000 included.

-- eliyahu

[eliyahu]

@eliyahu
[ot]
you were never a "classic user"? how come? may i ask you what have attracted you to this scene? i mean i cannot think of a reason to be here except having used the original machines, but obviously there must be other motivations i wasnt aware of.

sure. i actually discovered the modern amiga platform(s) through a review at osnews.com early last year. i hadn't realized the amiga was still around, and, never having been interested in them in the 1980s and 1990s, i read through the article.

i was stunned to see just how beautiful OS4 was, and, as i have an interest in 'exotic' hardware platforms, the SAM sounded like a nice bauble to get.  i've used MOS, OS3.1 via UAE, and AROS, but frankly i haven't enjoyed using a machine this much since the days of the macintosh IIci.

so, now i'm here as a hobbyist. i always wonder at the level of, er, enthusiasm on these fora, but i very much like my SAM and enjoy being a part of this little community. i give demos of my SAM occasionally at my office, and folks are amazed at how fluid and responsive everything is, the presence of pervasive scripting (via AREXX), the concept behind datatypes, the interface, etc. i really think folks don't know about OS4 (or MOS) out there, and there are more hobbyist types such as myself who would be interested. i've got ataris, apples, amstrads, spectrums, the lot. but i never had any amigas for some reason. i'm glad i have one now, well, if a SAM can be called an 'amiga.'

-- eliyahu