Test reports

Tests and Progress Reports

1. Little helpers for the daily Amiga life (by Christian Aichinger)

»In this new monthly section of AmigaAktuell I would like to introduce small tools and utilities which make the everyday work with the Amiga easier and more comfortable. Most Amiga publications concentrate on the big software packages, so you don't hear much or nothing at all about the small ones. For this issue, I chose the 5 utilities Calculator, SGrab, IconHandler, Mpega and the ARexx script StreamMP3.rx. If you know other useful tools, you can send me a mail or write a short(!) report about it yourself. I doesn't matter if it's a ARexx script or an assembler program. The only important thing is the usefulness. By the way: A fun program can raise the morale and is therefore useful, too ;). But now to this months programs.

SGrab:

SGrab is a screen grabber - a program that can save the contents of Amiga screens as a graphic file. It keeps silently in the background as a commodity. The shortcut Ctrl+Alt+s opens the user interface.

Screenshot

Sgrab is configured through some tooltypes in the program icon. The only requirement to take a screen shot is that the "object" in question doesn't disable multitasking. Especially older games, and a few rare applications (e.g. everything made with AMOS) resist SGrab. If the screen is decored with a copper effect background, The sue of SGrab is limited. The screen itself can be snapped, but the copper effect will be missing. Since SGrab is not the only screen grabber available for the Amiga, I will point out some special features:

To be able to use SGrab, you will need an Amiga with a 68020 CPU and AmigaOS3.0. The memory usage depends on the size of the screen (area) to be saved. SGrab itself requires only about 100kb of RAM. During my test, I didn't note any problems or bugs. SGrab is reliable and stable. If you use it, you are asked to send the author a little gift.

SGrab arbeitet zuverlaessig und absturzfrei. Wer SGrab verwendet, sollte dem Autor ein Geschenk zukommen lassen.

Author: Stephan Rupprecht Aminet: util/wb/sgrab.lha Programm revision: 1.13 Homepage: http://home.debitel.net/user/stephan.rupprecht License: Giftware

IconHandler:

IconHandler is a cross between a manager and a database for pictograms. It is very useful for user who, for example have installed AmigaOS3.5 and want to replace all old icons with the new Glowicons, who have a lot of files without icons or a lot of files whose icons shall be removed. But first you will have to spend a little time to configure IconHandler. Best you create a directory called "Icons" or whatever in the Iconhandler directory, which will then hold the most commonly used icons. You should give them informative names, e.g. rename a icon showing a blue drawer to "blue drawer". Now, after starting IconHandler for the first time, double click on the AppIcon to display the user interface.

Screenshot

Now drop all pictogram from the Icons directory into this window and enter a name in the requester that appears.

But since we already named the icons correctly, we only need to close this requester with "Ok". Then click "Save and use" and the configuration is done. If you now drag any file or directory over the AppIcon, a window with the previously configured icons opens up.

Screenshot

Now you only have to choose one entry and IconHandler creates new icons for all files. It is also possible to completely remove the old icons.

IconHandler was only tested under AmigaOS3.0-3.5, but should also work with AmigaOS2.04. The memory requirements are minimal, I think that 100kb should be sufficient. If you have problems displaying the manual, try to remove the line "@smartwrap" from the AmigaGuide file using a text editor. You should find some localizations on the homepage.


Author: Tim Jackson 
Aminet: util/wb/IconHandler.lha 
Programm revision: 2.2 
Homepage: http://www.radiolink.net/timjackson oder 
 http://www.bigfoot.com/~tim_jackson 
License: Freeware (feedback is welcome) 
  

Calculator:

The principle of this program is quite simple. It show a calculator on the workbench screen, just like the calculator in the Tools directory of the Workbench. But this calculator offer some additional scientific functions. They can be activated from the menu entry "Scientific". This opens a small window containing the additional functions. This includes PI (3.14159.... etc.), nth power, and roots. Calculator shows a 10 digit display. Most calculations can be done with the Amiga keyboard. A "printout" like the original is not available.

Screenshot

Sad to say, there are some bugs. Calculator doesn't like to calculate the power of 9999999999. Generally you should be careful with very high values. It crashed on me quite a few time with a error 8000 000B. Floating point seems to be another weak spot. Sometimes a "0.00234" reduces suddenly to "0". The short manual in AmigaGuide format can't be used easily, because the author used a wrong icon type. But you can read it if you load it directly from Multiview (resp. AmigaGuide) or if you replace to icon with a project icon. Calculator works on every Amiga with OS2.05 and 60kb of free RAM. If you use it, you are asked to send an email to the author.


Author: Donald W Millican 
Aminet: util/misc/Calculator.lha 
Programm revision: ??? (probably internal 2.4) 
Homepage: http://amigacomputer.cjb.net/programs/calculator.html 
License: Mailware 
  

MPEGA:

MPEGA is a shell program for playing and converting MPEG sound files. It supports the compression methods MPEG Layer I, II and III (Layer III is better known as MP3). It offers you a lot of options. With the switches "-d" and "-q", you can reduce the quality to make it possible to hear MPEG Audio on slower Amigas, too. The switches "-A" and "-W" converts the MPEG files to AIFF or WAV files. You should remember that 1 MByte MPEG Audio equals about 10 MByte of AIFF or WAV files. If you have problems with the MPEG support of e.g. MakeCD, you should convert these files to AIFF or WAV and use these for your Audio Image. MPEGA requires an Amiga with 68020 CPU and the mpega.library. It furthermore supports AHI and the "CyberSound" audio calibration. The mpeag.library is available in special versions for 68020/40/60 and for PowerPCs.


Author: Stéphane Tavenard 
Aminet: MPEGA is in mus/play/mpega.lha. The mpega.library can be found at util/libs/mpega_library.lha
Programm revision: 3.5 
Homepage: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/stephane.tavenard 
License: Freeware/Giftware 
  

StreamMP3.rx:

MPEGA can nicely be integrated into web browsers, to listen to web radio or other MP3 files directly from the Internet. This is what the ARexx script StreamMP3.rx is for. It forwards the the MPEG Audio data stream to MPEGA. An important requirement is that the rxsocket.library is installed and the devices "PIPE:" and "AUDIO:" (from the AHI distribution) are mounted. Now I will show how to configure StreamMP3 with the web browser Voyager.

First thing is to start "MimePrefs". Ten click on "Add" and set the "Mime type:" to "audio/". Enter "x-mpegurl" in the input field next to it. In "Extensions:" enter "mpg mpeg mp3 m3u" (always without quotes). As "Directory:" choose RAM: and remove the checkmark at "Use class directory?". In the "Viewer:" section we have to select the StreamMP3 script. Set "Use internal viewer?" to off and "PIPE Streaming?" to on. On the left side (above the "Add" button, we select "View". Now finally a click on "Save" and Voyager now understands MPEG-Audio.

Of course you can also use StreamMP3 with other browsers like Aweb and Ibrowse. You just have to adapt the parameters a little. On the pages http://www.iocon.com/mp3/mp3.html and http://www.shoutcast.com you can find some Internet radio stations. If you now click on a "Tune in" button at Shoutcast, StreamMP3 opens a little window.

Screenshot

Click on "Start Save" and the Internet radio starts to play. The "Close" button hides the interface and "Break" truns off the radio.


Author: Sigbjørn Skjæret 
Aminet: comm/www/StreamMP3.lha 
Programm revision: 2.3 
Homepage: 
License: Freeware 
  

Final words:

Since this is a new section of AmigaAktuell, and I'm trying to get things settled, I would like to receive suggestions, criticism, help or whatever you may think of. Please write to:

Christian Aichinger <aichi@gmx.de