Workbench > 16 colors

[gdanko]

Hi all, I recently installed a graphics card so that I could achieve higher resoutions and color bit depths.

My Amiga is now connected to the SVGA monitor and I am achieving 1280x1024.

I would like to install NewIcons to give my Amiga a snazzy modern workbench appearance. I am new to Amiga so I don't understand some things. In PREFS:ScreenModes I have select 1280x1024x16 and moved the slider all the way to the right to give me 65,536 colors. But when I go into PREFS:Palettes I can switch between 4 color and "Multicolor". Multicolor appears to be about 16 colors. Is this normal? How can I achieve a 16 bit Workbench?  :-?

[Lando]

You have got a 16-bit workbench.  The pallettes tool in Workbench only lets you choose from 16 though for Workbench components.  

But you can now look at pictures and watch movies or browse the web in 16-bit colour, or have a high-colour WB backdrop.

[Karlos]

Welcome to the nightmare that is a shared pen based graphics.library. You really do have 65536 colours available but (for backwards compatibility) the graphics.library still uses "pens" for colours.

The palette editor only knows about those pens used by workbench for it's standard rendering and nothing of the nature of the screen itself.

On an RGB screen, changing a pen colour only affects the next use of that pen (and not any previous instances), unlike an 8-bit screen, where pen management is much more important.

[gdanko]

So if I install NewIcons or something along those lines they should be displayed in full color?

[Ilwrath]

So if I install NewIcons or something along those lines they should be displayed in full color?

NewIcons should do it.    Or OS 3.5/3.9 I think has something very similar built-in.

[gdanko]

I was pondering the purchase of 3.5. How well will it work on a 68060/50-based A2000?

I heard 3.5 is 3.1 with some user-added extensions. Can someone confirm?

[Ilwrath]

I was pondering the purchase of 3.5. How well will it work on a 68060/50-based A2000?

It should work great.  It ran very well on my A4000/060 @ 50mhz.  Especially with a RTG graphics card.  

I heard 3.5 is 3.1 with some user-added extensions. Can someone confirm?

Pretty much.  Honestly, I'd say AmigaOS 3.1 was the last real update.  3.5 and 3.9 are really pretty minor point updates.  But they build-in some features and patches that are rather annoying when not included.  

My own advice to you might be to go for AmigaOS 3.9, as it includes the full version of the Genesis TCP/IP stack, rather than the unregistered Miami included on OS 3.5.  Very handy if you want to get your Amiga networked.