Nice looking aga desktops? How?

[vic20owner]

Can I use VisualPrefs and themes with an AGA stock chipset?

I see all of these custom themes and it seems like there must be something which can display well in 256 colors.

Problem is how?  I am running MagicWB and I can't seem to get more than 4 or 16 colors in workbench itself.  How are you guys getting a desktop like this in OS3.9:

http://www.amiga.org/gallery/index.php?n=2118



Is the problem the limited amount of chip memory?  Is that why a video card is required for a desktop like this?

[Piru]

AGA can't produce 16 bit 1120x834 screenmode.

Seriously now, anything fancy requires a gfxcard.

[vic20owner]

I wasn't referring to the screenmode and resolution, I was asking about the theme and the multicolor workbench and if it can be done in AGA in 256 colors.

[Piru]

I was asking about the theme and the multicolor workbench and if it can be done in AGA in 256 colors.

It can not.

Even if it could, it would be unbearably slow. Just try setting your Workbench to 256 colours and play with it.

[mpiva]

In my personal opinion, anything more than 64 colors for an AGA workbench is unbearbly slow.  That being said, I've seen some very impressive 64 color workbenches, you just have to pick your colors and everything VERY carefully.

[ChrisH]

@mpiva
That's my recollection, although I recall that I managed to live with 128 colours (for a much a better picture).

[murple]

If you're using a computer from 1992, you should adjust your expectations accordingly. Amigas are great retro fun, and some modern add-ons like PPC accelerators and PCI busses with graphics cards can drag the Amiga a few years further to the late 1990s... but if you're hoping to get a whizzbang flashy colorful 2007 display on an Amiga 1200, I think your hopes are going to be dashed.

They're cool computers, I absolutely love my 1200... but I don't expect it to look and feel like my shiny modern Linux system.

[vic20owner]

Well, the reason I asked is this.  On my A1200, in 256 color mode it runs fine... it's not slow... as far as I can tell it's the decoding of the JPEG image that is slow... and thats probably why the dock is so slow... it uses a JPG skin.

Turning off the dock, and going to 256 colors with no backdrop everything is just as snappy as it usually is.

But I guess thats because it doesn't have to keep redrawing the backdrop when I move the window.

[rkauer]

 I use a regular 128 colors on my AGA-only 1200 with some nice pictures in it (jpeg, ilbm, etc).

 My 1200 don't slow down that much. Even in DBL-PAL/NTSC modes.

 All you really need to show some of that fancy wb's are:

 -jpeg & gif datatypes;
 - cool pictures to show on the desktop;
 - high resolution modes.

 Here is the catch, high resolution modes eats chip RAM and forces the AGA chipset to double work (that's why those modes slow the things down).

 Programs like fblit, MCP patches (1.46 avaliable, 1.47 to come soon) and visualprefs comes to help, but not much in orig. AGA.

[Piru]

as far as I can tell it's the decoding of the JPEG image that is slow... and thats probably why the dock is so slow...

The image is decoded only once, so this isn't it.

[murple]

I suppose I'm lucky that my idea of a nice looking desktop background is a solid black screen hehe...

Have you tried using something other than a JPG to see if that has the same problem?

[leirbag28]

@vic20owner
@murple

You dont need a gfx card. What you have to do is use only IFF images, do not use JPEG ever on an AGA as backdrops, because they contain 16million colors and your workbench remaps the image to whatever colors it chooses....so it may look bad at one time, and ok at another.......use ONLY IFF...........if you want a smallr file but slightly slower, use GIF as they are 256 color images and very close to IFF AGA.

You can make your workbench look exactly like the link you gave, except the screen will be 640 x 400 (recommended best over all most functional Amiga resolution for NTSC....650 x 512 if PAL)

All you have to do is get all those icons from the guy, and maybe the themes and convert everything to IFF and .info files.............what you do fist is take th image on that link..........and save it...........then load it just as it is into a WB background.................make sure your WB is in 128 colors or 256...............now load Personal Paint............then Grab your WB screen.  save the palette. grab the HD icons as brushes if possible, and make anothr version of it right below but with a glow around it (outline it with white, then bright yellow, then slightly darker yellow)  this will be the image of the icon when clicked..............save that HD brush with the glow version right below it perfectly alligned............save it as a .info/Icon with "both" set on PPaint save window.

save it into RAM actually, that way you can view it and click it to test it. now simply do that to each icon you like......using that same palette you saved...........once your done, your workbench will look cool and work smooth, the colors will look slightly dithered but trust me, it will look cool and you will have what appear to be PNG icons on your AGA machine with no gfx card.

:-) hope I gave enough details  or at least got the ball rolling.

[Damion]

I used a 64 color WB with various patches, simple, patterned backdrops and cool colors. Very fast (for what it was), looked clean and simple. 256 color WB is much slower even with a Blizz 1260, especially if you want to surf the internet. (...and things like drawers with lots of icons will take considerably longer to load.)

[frl9lk]

A similar question. On a A4000 with no gfx card, is there any sense to installing MUI? (Sorry to interrupt the other thread.)

[murple]

Well, I have a 1200 with no graphics card, and I installed MUI because there are a good number of apps that need MUI to run. So, I'd say the answer is yes.