Top 5 essential Amiga apps and utilities?

[ErrethAkbe]

All right, after some period of disuse, I have my A2000/030 running great. I have revived some old games and so on, but more needs to be done to make the machine truly useful.

Every machine has it's list of must-have utilities for file management, image viewing, MP3/MOD playing, movie playing and so on.

Also, major applications like email, word processing, spreadsheet and such are required.

For example: back in the day, I used to use Directory Opus for file management, and it also contained some viewers. Surely something better has come along since, allowing more standard formats like JPG and GIF? If so, what is the preferred one to use?

What are the top 5 utilities you use? The top 5 applications?

Just wondering...

[xaccrocheur]

ErrethAkbe wrote:
(...) For example: back in the day, I used to use Directory Opus for file management, and it also contained some viewers. Surely something better has come along since(...)

Nope. Not that I know of. Not one bit. What's new is that Dopus4.x is now free. And yes, it IS indispensable. And since it can nicely (even in ARREX) talk to any viewer you can think of, and that the said viewer *can* read GIF&JPG (datatypes available) this is the trick.

[Argus]

My top five (minimum on every 3.1 rom'd machine):

1) Internet bundle: Yam, Ibrowse, tcp stack (Miami, TermiteTCP, etc.)

2) WB Enhancers: Magic User Interface plus either Magic Workbench or NewIcons...or GlowIcons if you install OS3.9

3) WHDLoad: absolutely brilliant harddisk launcher for old floppy based games...a must

4) Misc utilities: MagicMenu, KingCON, Arc, FBlit, Executive, BlazeWCP, etc.

5) CDROM driver: AsimCDFS, AmiCDFS, etc. and maybe a burner program if your cpu is up to it (BurnIt, MakeCD, etc.)

*Optional (hardware permitting): RTG software (CybergraphX, Picasso96) and WarpUp w/ or w/o Warp3D

[Karlos]

Never overlook stack attack on OS 3.x :-)

I would put mmu.library in there too except I am the only person I know who can never get it working (my system is always half dead after an attempted install). I must get around to sorting that someday, I want to do some MMU independent coding...

[krize]

1.  AmiNetRadio - For great streaming radio!

2. WHDload - For all those classix.

3. IBrowse - For the internet

4. WindowDeamon - For making new shortcuts, like "del" key is delete and for me "shift+c" is close a window... Also the forced close sometimes closes crashed programs , great

5. Miami DX - used at startup, for tcp/ip

[leirbag28]

If your into Video and PowerPoint type presentations"


SCALA MM300 or 400  (A must even if your not into Video)
Brilliance 2.0 (best 2D paint package for non RTG Amigas)
ImageStudio 2.3 (Freeware Image manipulation package)
ADORAGE 2.0  (Create SpecialFX on aniamtions)
Broadcast Titler 2.0  (Character Generator)
DiskMaster II   (Forget Directory Opus)


If you had to pick a Single application on the Amiga...it would be SCALA! this thing does amazing stuff!  I am currently creating a Massive game with it, without using a single ounce of Code.

YOu can even make SCALA do stuff it wasnt meant to do or that SCALA Inc themselves never imagined.  You can also have it play MP3's, VideoCD, DVD (If you have a decoder) or control them externally and time them to you presentations.

[JaXanim]

Yes Scala is a fantastic piece of software.

I remember doing a presentation to about thirty senior managers and directors at work. I decided to run some visuals in this and used Scala to present them. Thanks to the Amiga's PAL output, I connected it to one of those old projector gizmos. This was the first and only time I'd used one and the Amiga was a superb performer.

Each section of the talk had an animated title screen rendered in LightWave 3.5. Each intro had soundFx thrown in and thanks to Scala and my A1200, the talk was a great success. In fact there were jaws dropping all around the room and people were whispering to each other about how I was doing it.

That was when Windblows was at the 3.1 stage or maybe earlier I can't remember. Anyway, nothing like it appeared for years on the pc. I suppose PowerPoint sort of did the trick for 'em but I was long gone by then.

Cheers,

JaX

[TNovosel]

My five best progs.
1. Dopus 4.xx this is my "Workbech" :-)
2. Miami
3. IBrowse
4. SimpleMail/Yam
5. Prayer2/Eagleplayer

leirbag28
I am also Scala "freak", and I LOVE Scala features.
One question...
How you can play VCD from scala.
(I know for script-cli external play with player like Amp2).
Can you import VCD files in Scala like ANM format?
Thanks

[mr_a500]

ErrethAkbe:

You haven't said what your Amiga specs are. What ROM/WB? Do you have a graphics card?

Here is my list - for ECS, 3.0 ROM, WB 3.1. (sorry, it's a little more than 5, but it's still only a partial list!)


Workbench/Tools
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
File manager - ABCDir
WB look improvement - VisualPrefs, Newicons, Magic Menu, TitleShadow, Borderblank
Screen promotion - ModePro
WB palette lock - LoadCMAP
Speedup Patch - SystemPatch
Icon editor - Iconian (2.98r - later versions unstable)
Window tool - WindowToFront, Iconify
Text clip - PowerSnap
Path/Filename clip - Clip (use in ABCdir)
Drive click stop - DrivePrefs
Full screen shell - ScreenShell
Benchmark - AIBB
File finder - SimpleFind3
Disk salvage - DiskSalv 4
Application Monitor - SnoopDOS
Add to WB tools menu - AddTools
System Monitor - Scout
Binary Editor - Hex
AntiVirus - VirusZ
Archive - Wizarc
UnArchive - Voodoo-X/XAD
Screen Magnifyer - Zoom
Screen saver - Matrix
Command line run from icon - runfromwb (same as double-clicking!)
Sound datatype - SoundDT41
Calculator - TotalCalc


Internet
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
TCP/IP Stack - MiamiDX
Browser - IBrowse
Email - YAM
Messenger - Jabberwocky

Development
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
C/C++ - SAS/C 6.58
BASIC - AMOS Pro Compiler
Assembler - Asm-One
GUI - MUI, Feelin

Music
¯¯¯¯¯
Tracker - OSS/Protracker4
Sampler - DSS-3
Disk Sample player - SongPlayer
Disk Sample editor/converter - SampleZ
MP3 player - DiamondGUI/Mpega
Multi-format music/SID player - EaglePlayer 2.03

Application
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Wordprocessor - FinalWriter 97 / Wordworth 7
Spreadsheet - TurboCalc
Organiser - Organiser
Paint Programs - ImageFX, PPaint 7.1, PPT
JPEG viewer - fjpeg 1.1
Image viewer - Visage
Text Editor - MicroGoldEd
PDF read - Apdf 2.2
PDF print/create - Ghostscript 8
Fax - STfax 4.1
Mac Emulator - Shapeshifter 3.11
Database & GUI - XBaze
Home finance - HomeBank
Presentation - Scala MM400


I use all these and more on my A500. Most are freely available on Aminet.

[Argus]

@mr_a500

That must be quite a smashing a500 to run all that software.  Surely you have a GVPA530 or similar 68030 card. I can make tea waiting for Miami to start up in MUI on a 68000.

[mr_a500]

I've got a Viper 520 with 33 Mhz 020 and 8Mb RAM. The 32bit ROMs make a nice speed improvement too. I do most of my tea making while waiting for PDF pages to display. ;-)

[Argus]

Opening a pdf on an 020? you probably have time to make some cookies with the tea

[mr_a500]

Actually simple PDFs take "only" about 10-20 seconds/page - not enough time to bake cookies. Complex PDFs allow me to make tea.

Making PDFs with Ghostscript and printing them with TurboPrint gives me enough time to make tea, bake cookies, make more tea, eat the cookies, write a novel and have it published... then use the book royalties to buy more tea and cookie mix.

[leirbag28]

@TNovosel

No, You cant import VCD into Scala, no need to I used to have a CD32 with SX1 and a FMV card, and controlled VCD's from ToolsDaemon on Workbench..I had each track on the menu...so cool!  But I also created a Kiosk with SCALA and ran it from there like it was a CDplayer. and I could genloack graphics over it (I think) or maybe that was with Video Creator :-)

Also the PeggyPlus card (Basically the FMV but for A4000) can be controlled from SCALA

Now II just use the SCALA Echo (LANC/Control L) to control DV cams and DV decks and have it all incorporated with the SuperGenSX genlock and recordedd to a DV deck for the highest Possible quality and them burned to DVD :-) the ECHO EE-100 can also save infrared signals of all your remotes, making it the Ultimate Universal remote!  then you can control all those things like even changing channels on your TV or VCR or Cable box.....all from SCALA!
If I lose a remote....no problem..I have it saved in SCALA :-)




Scala Rules massivly!

[benJamin]

Okay, no matter what system I have setup (UAE-on-a-ZIP/3.1, my A1200/3.0 with no keyboard, my old A500/2.1 at home with the burnt-out hard drive from six years ago...) I just cannot live without:

   Ed          - It's small, fast and works, but needs 'Alias Ed "Run Ed <>NIL: "' in your 'S:shell-startup' to be really useful.
   KingCON     - Get it.  Now.
   VisualPrefs - I like to pretty things up at the pixel level and visitors to my screenside have said "Where can I get this OS for my PC?"
   ARexx       - If only it had a compiler, we could rid ourselves of all other languages (including English!).  I was working on a compiler at one point, and I'm doing Programming Language Implementation at Uni. next semester, maybe it's not too late?
   PPaint      - Decals don't make themselves.
   Cinema4D    - Neither do 3D renders.
   DeliTracker - Hooray for music whilst you work.
   OctaMED SS  - Damn fine package.
   HappyENV    - Very Happy.

Other things that are further down the tree, but none-the-less important (in no particular order):
Wordworth, FinalWriter, TurboCalc, gcc, javac, AmiTradeCentre, AWeb, Miami, YAM, TaskiSMS, Organiser, DOpus, MagicMenu, ToolsPrefs and others which I can't remember but may be just as important.

Games that are great:

   The Settlers
   Hired Guns
   Syndicate
   Dune 2
   Super Skidmarks
   Sensible Soccer
   WizKid
   Sim City 2000

And others that slipped the net.

I just had this sensation of Deja Vu that I've written a list similar to this before around here...  I wonder if it's changed much?


benJamin
"What does 'Give Up' mean?"