os3.1 - Facelift to look/work like 3.9?

[Cammy]

IconBeFast is a good patch, but it only helps icons load faster. The speed problem with picture.datatype is obvious when you use applications that load in lots of bitmap images, like YAM for example, or dock/start bar programs that need to load several small bitmap images. This isn't something I made up, I've experimented with 3.1, 3.9 and a hybrid 3.1/3.9 system, and in the end the main culprit for the speed problem is picture.datatype. The more images a 3.9 system has to load, the slower it will look compared to a 3.1 system. If your system is pretty default, and you don't use VisualPrefs (with bitmaps), Birdie, MUI with patterns or modern applications that use datatypes to load skins and GUI elements, you probably wouldn't notice the difference. But when you use an A1200 as your main system every day, waiting twice as long for things to load when you know it's capable of loading them much faster with an older datatype can get annoying. It's the reason I switched back to 3.1 from 3.9, 3.1 was just much snappier for the kind of usage I wanted to get from my Amiga.

[Cammy]

I guess I'll add, if it's possible to install 3.9 and use a faster picture.datatype, then 3.9 would definitely be worth using on a 030. So if the one in Picasso96 is AGA compatible and works with palette-mapped screens, and is as fast as the 3.1 picture.datatype then it'd be the perfect solution.

[haywirepc]

Novacoder,
 
I've seen your screenshots before, very nice.
 
I think I may have to stick with patched up os3.1 because I have no os3.9 cdrom, or way to install it to the 1200 even if I had it. I have amiga forever and the 3.1 disk images.
 
Right now I have no way to transfer files to the 1200 either, I got 3.1 on a cf card preinstalled.
 
I have a windows to amiga networking kit on the way which I got from a user on amibay. That should help alot.
 
If someone wants to sell me a 4 gig cf card with os3.9 pre-installed, I'm very interested. Amigakit has only 100 gig 2.5 inch ide drives pre-installed with os3.9 and I think 100 gigs is a bit much for classic amiga.
 
I may go that route if I don't find another solution soon.
This is an interesting thread. Sounds like 3.9 could be just as speedy as 3.1 if I replaced one component....?
 
Sounds great to me.
 
Steven

[Gulliver]

I have tested the picasso96 picture.datatype, it has some problems that show up when tweaking workbench backdrops with its prefs.
I find ReAction slows down GUI generation on programs compared to standart boopsi components. Too see this, just click of CacheCDFS in prefs and wait a while it draws its interface, and then compare it to its counterpart in the idefix97 package and you will notice a big difference in low end systems.
By the way, workbench.library is another 3.9 performance sucker!

[motrucker]

I haven't had my old A1200 for a while now, but I ended up ditching 3.9 because of performance problems. It had a DKB '030 Cobra 33MHz IIRC with 32Mb of RAM. I ended up using 3.5 with better results after a very few tweaks.
That system worked very nicely. 4.3Gb Toshiba 2.5" hard drive, and a Squirrel SCSI w/Sony CD Writer (4/8/32). With a 1942 monitor.

[NovaCoder]

Novacoder,
 
I've seen your screenshots before, very nice.
 
I think I may have to stick with patched up os3.1 because I have no os3.9 cdrom, or way to install it to the 1200 even if I had it. I have amiga forever and the 3.1 disk images. I may go that route if I don't find another solution soon.
This is an interesting thread. Sounds like 3.9 could be just as speedy as 3.1 if I replaced one component....?
 
Sounds great to me.
 
Steven

Hiya,

I used WinUAE with a CF reader to setup all of my OS3.9 installs.  It's very easy, you can just mount your Amiga's HD (the CF card) as the HD under WinUAE and then install 3.9 (using the PC's CDROM drive).  Stick your installed CF back in your Amiga and you're done

[stefcep2]

Hiya,

I used WinUAE with a CF reader to setup all of my OS3.9 installs.  It's very easy, you can just mount your Amiga's HD (the CF card) as the HD under WinUAE and then install 3.9 (using the PC's CDROM drive).  Stick your installed CF back in your Amiga and you're done

yep thats the way to do it if you have no cdrom for your A1200

[LoadWB]

This is all very interesting.  I have run OS3.9 on my A500+ with a 50MHz Derringer 030 and 32MB RAM.  I used an old SCSI hard drive with a GVP A500+ interface.  I never really noticed much of a performance issue.  hrmmmmm....

[Gulliver]

In the end, 3.9 is better than 3.1, you just have to remove the crap that makes it slower on low end systems. On high spec 68k system it runs like a charm, way better than 3.1
I would rather say that a good experience on it starts with a 030 at 40mhz and at least 16MB fast!

AmigaOS3.9 low spec tip:
Amidock is a really cool app, but if you are low on spec, get rid of it! You will save ram and your Amiga will boot faster.

[Cammy]

Okay it seems the solution would be: Use 3.9, but don't actually use any programs with it, because then you start to notice how slow it is. Just boot it up and look at it, maybe play an MP3 to impress yourself, load a WHDLoad game, and then switch it off and use your PC for everything else.

[haywirepc]

I don't have an os3.9 cdrom, just amiga forever.

Can I format a cf flash card then just copy the files in the amiga forever
system and work dirs over to the cf card? Otherwise I'm stuck with 3.1 I suppose.

I really like and am very used to the amiga forever 3.x setup. That would work nicely for me if I can somehow copy it over to the 1200.

In the next few weeks, I'll try to get both 3.1 and 3.9 going on this 1200
and then I guess I can decide whats best for my needs. I'm waiting on some parts and things that will help alot. Can't wait to get the scandoubler stuff, my old 1084 looks like yeech.

Its like torture waiting for these much needed parts and stuff to arrive...

Steven

[Gulliver]

How to make 3.1 look like 3.9:

http://lilliput.host-cafe.com/TechDetails3.htm

@Cammy
The solution is to use 3.9 and strip some pieces of it so that it looks like 3.1, but upgraded and bugfixed in many areas!

[Bamiga2002]

Setpatch should be 43.7 (by Gateway)

[Cammy]

Gulliver, which parts should be stripped to make it faster? Picture.datatype and Workbench.datatype? Are you confirming that the Picasso96 picture.datatype is a suitable replacement?

[Gulliver]

Yes, it is a replacement that works, but it is buggier, as i said before. The other drawback is that it eats more memory and that the dithering method leaves a lot to be desired.
I believe that despite people blame picture.datatype in 3.9. It should be left there. The problem with picture.datatype in 3.9 is that it is compiled with Storm C, which does not produce optimized code eficiently, and that it is also a FAT binary, meaning it runs both on 68k and PPC.

I would change from 3.9 to make it faster:
Retire AmiDock from WBStartup
Of course, I would install MUI, as it draws programs GUIs faster than ReAction
Retire Benchtrash from WBStartup or if you really use it, replace it with Benchtrash 1.50
Retire DefIcons from WBStartup, it is one of the resource pigs
Remove all the .info files from /Prefs/ENV-Archive/Sys/ that you can
Replace RAWBInfo with Wbinfo 2.5
Replace the GIF and JPG datatypes for the akXXX series of datatypes, they are faster.
Replace Mounter with SCSIMounter 2.03
Replace CacheCDFS in prefs with the one that comes with Idefix97
Replace HDToolbox with HDInst 6.9
Replace Unarc with MUIUnarc
Replace Genesis TCP-IP with AmiTCP
Replace AWeb with IBrowse
Replace PlayCD with the Idefix97 counterpart
Remove Vinced or if you really use it, replace it with KingCon 1.8
Use env-handler, it will save precious memory
Remove AHI if you are just using Paula for sound
If possible avoid the usage of LoadModule and the AmigaOS ROM Update file by burning your own 3.9 rom. Use Remus and Romsplit for that and contact Nathan at http://www.amigamaniac.com to manufacture them
And then i would apply all this optimizations: http://lilliput.host-cafe.com/SpeednOp.htm


I know you will certainly get a faster, less memory and cpu hungry Amigaos 3.9 install this way!

PS: You can also remove all the files you wont use from /Locale, foreign languages.

[Hell Labs]

Okay it seems the solution would be: Use 3.9, but don't actually use any programs with it, because then you start to notice how slow it is. Just boot it up and look at it, maybe play an MP3 to impress yourself, load a WHDLoad game, and then switch it off and use your PC for everything else.

Isn't that what anyone uses an amiga for now anyway?:confused: