MUI 5.0-2016R3 for AmigaOS4/PPC and AmigaOS3/m68k released

[eliyahu]

The MUI for AmigaOS development team is proud to announce the immediate release of version 5.0-2016R3 of the Magic User Interface for AmigaOS4/PPC and AmigaOS3/m68k. The release archives can be found in the download section.

Like all former releases a keyfile is required to enable all available settings. Old keyfiles from MUI 3.8 can be used without any restriction.

Please note that MUI5 for AmigaOS3/m68k is definitely targeted at powerful systems with a fast CPU and a fast graphic board. Although it is still possible to run this release on a real 68k machine an emulation like WinUAE is very highly recommended. Also colormapped screens with 256 colors at most are still supported, but MUI5 makes heavy use of fancy truecolor images and effects which cannot be provided on colormapped screens with the full range of possibilities.

These are the most important new features of MUI5:

• inline editing in List objects
• built-in hooks for multicolumn lists
• built-in handling of sortable list columns
• support for fixed (initial) width list columns
• new Textdata class to support UTF8 encoded text (via codesets.library)
• new reordering methods for Group and Family class

[Pat the Cat]

IIRC, MUI is vital for some applications.

I always found it depended on the application, to a certain extent, as well as the MUI core.

Have things changed a lot with respect to that?

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

IIRC, MUI is vital for some applications.

I always found it depended on the application, to a certain extent, as well as the MUI core.

Have things changed a lot with respect to that?

Don't use these new versions with the older classic/68k apps. They require very high system requirements and are not 100% backward compatible. Also it is simply absurd that they "require a keyfile" to the original version, when it has been well documented that original keyfiles are no longer available.

[Pat the Cat]

OK, OK. No need to shout.

MUI was always a bit problematic to get right, and somewhat processor dependent, and I hadn't expected that to change much... but it's nice that the people with the wild horses for processors and sideways crazier modern solutions are being allowed to gallop.

Occasionally getting thrown out of the saddle, true, but that's always the case with bleeding edge technology.

[Templario]

Thanks for this new update!

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

OK, OK. No need to shout.

I get super frustrated with these posts about "a new version". They pop up every few months. Almost as often as some poor schmuck, freshly back to the Amiga community after decades away, posts about all the problems they're having. They think "ooh, I'll just download the latest version", not knowing how many issues it causes. IMHO every post about "a new version" should include a warning about this. Or at least give people a heads up, you know?

[LoadWB]

Heck, for that matter, setting up my new 4000/040/25 I found people talking about how even 3.9 is too heavy for the 25MHz 040.  3.8 works just fine for me on the 040/25 and I even run it on my 4000/060/50.  I tried installing 3.9 over 3.8 on my 1200/060/50 and it cause some problems, so I took the time to put it back to 3.8.  My take: just stay at 3.8 unless there is something mind-bogglingly compelling about 3.9 or above.

[Pat the Cat]

I get super frustrated with these posts about "a new version". They pop up every few months. Almost as often as some poor schmuck, freshly back to the Amiga community after decades away, posts about all the problems they're having. They think "ooh, I'll just download the latest version", not knowing how many issues it causes. IMHO every post about "a new version" should include a warning about this. Or at least give people a heads up, you know?

Nod nod. Same old story, same old story. Gets you down. Gets anyone down, we've all got our breaking points.

That's why I asked, guvnor. The only real constant is change. Everything changes, in time.

Thing is, a true noob is going to google info and downloads for MUI anyway, to find out what it's for, why they might want it.

Why not have stickies for noobs? Might help reduce the issue, anyway. Might help with passion overflow issues and blood pressure, too.

[eliyahu]

I get super frustrated with these posts about "a new version". They pop up every few months. Almost as often as some poor schmuck, freshly back to the Amiga community after decades away, posts about all the problems they're having. They think "ooh, I'll just download the latest version", not knowing how many issues it causes. IMHO every post about "a new version" should include a warning about this. Or at least give people a heads up, you know?

i hear you loud and clear, and you're right on the money. MUI5 is terrific for AOS4; and AOS3, too, when used under emulation, but on a A1200 it's a tad much. i'll make sure a disclaimer is in future update-related posts similar to the one in this one....

Please note that MUI5 for AmigaOS3/m68k is definitely targeted at powerful systems with a fast CPU and a fast graphic board. Although it is still possible to run this release on a real 68k machine an emulation like WinUAE is very highly recommended. Also colormapped screens with 256 colors at most are still supported, but MUI5 makes heavy use of fancy truecolor images and effects which cannot be provided on colormapped screens with the full range of possibilities.

can you recommend a better disclaimer text?

-- eliyahu

[mechy]

This needs to be shouted.. why these half baked incompatible things are even put out out is beyond me.

Don't use these new versions with the older classic/68k apps. They require very high system requirements and are not 100% backward compatible. Also it is simply absurd that they "require a keyfile" to the original version, when it has been well documented that original keyfiles are no longer available.

[kolla]

@eliyahu
"terrific" is no longer a positive property

[pVC]

i hear you loud and clear, and you're right on the money. MUI5 is terrific for AOS4; and AOS3, too, when used under emulation, but on a A1200 it's a tad much. i'll make sure a disclaimer is in future update-related posts similar to the one in this one....


can you recommend a better disclaimer text?

-- eliyahu

Maybe it could also mention about MUI 3.8, which works on classic systems and which is enough for classic software, if this disclaimer was for those who don't know what's going on and maybe think that MUI is MUI.

[Pat the Cat]

Maybe it could also mention about MUI 3.8, which works on classic systems and which is enough for classic software, if this disclaimer was for those who don't know what's going on and maybe think that MUI is MUI.

TBH I always thought MUI was a developer tool for people that couldn't actually code, but could wave a mouse and click occasionally. To the extent that if an app needed MUI, I just didn't bother with that tool. Quite a Luddite attitude to some, but... I guess I wasn't interested in a flash GUI that spent all it's time and resources looking pretty.

Then again, most people aren't like me, and do value attractive tools that actually let them be productive, in some way.

[pVC]

TBH I always thought MUI was a developer tool for people that couldn't actually code, but could wave a mouse and click occasionally. To the extent that if an app needed MUI, I just didn't bother with that tool. Quite a Luddite attitude to some, but... I guess I wasn't interested in a flash GUI that spent all it's time and resources looking pretty.

Heh, not at all. MUI was (and still is) an advanced and powerful GUI toolkit which just offers much more than other toolkits did at that time. Although it was relatively easy for programmers, it doesn't mean it was for those who can't code, and there wasn't mouse involved with the coding... I don't know where did you get that

Beauty of MUI is that programmers don't have to make eyecandy and flashy or themeable GUI:s themselves, they just code the programs, but then users can configure and make whatever they want to the look of a program. Users can configure the looks of all MUI programs by global prefs, but they also can override them for each single program or even window. It's quite win-win situation, because coders can go with less work, but users have more options to tune the look/functionality of programs to their liking.

The original MUI isn't that heavy with basic settings. Of course it doesn't run well on 68000, but 020 or above isn't problem. MUI became quite a de facto standard on later days and you wouldn't have practically any Internet software without it, or pretty lonely with them at least It was a good thing for higher end Amigas and later days/future.

[paul1981]

Yep, MUI 3.8 runs fine on a 14MHz 68020. I think MUI was and still is the best thing since sliced bread in Amiga land.