home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Fresh Fish 9
/
FreshFishVol9-CD2.bin
/
bbs
/
reviews
/
graphics.lha
/
graphics
/
RetinaEmu2.3
< prev
next >
Wrap
Internet Message Format
|
1995-02-07
|
7KB
Path: rcfnews.cs.umass.edu!barrett
From: mussi@snoop.alphanet.ch (Rene Laederach)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews
Subject: REVIEW: RetinaEmu 2.3 software update for Retina graphics board
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.graphics
Date: 7 Feb 1995 03:11:03 GMT
Organization: The Amiga Online Review Column - ed. Daniel Barrett
Lines: 224
Sender: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu (comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator)
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <3h6oc7$l4t@kernighan.cs.umass.edu>
Reply-To: mussi@snoop.alphanet.ch (Rene Laederach)
NNTP-Posting-Host: quincy
Keywords: graphics, 24-bit, commercial
Originator: barrett@quincy.cs.umass.edu
PRODUCT NAME
RetinaEmu 2.3 Software update for the Retina (both Z2 and BLT Z3)
graphics board.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
This is the long awaited update to the software of the Retina
graphics board.
AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION
Name: MacroSystems GmbH
Address: Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 85
58454 Witten
GERMANY
Telephone: ++49-2302-80391
FAX: ++49-2302-80884
Beware: I have never checked if they speak English. German is no
problem however. I guess MacroSystems US speaks English, though. :)
I don't have the info for MacroSystems US handy.
E-mail:
There is no e-mail support address. If you have serious trouble with
Retinas, you may try with Thomas Dorn, 2:310/98@fidonet or
tdorn@xipaint.co.at.
MacroSystems US seems to be reachable via e-mail at
macrosystems@cryogenic.com. I haven't checked this.
LIST PRICE
22.50 DM which is about $13.25 (US) for mortals; 18.- DM for
subscribers of update subscriptions.
These prices are from MacroSystems direct, but I don't know the
update price of MacroSystems US. Anybody got a hint?
SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
HARDWARE
A Retina graphics board is required.
Much RAM, a big hard disk and a killer system in general is
recommended if you intend to work with graphics.
SOFTWARE
Kickstart 2.04 or higher required.
Works without trouble on Kickstart 3.1.
COPY PROTECTION
None, except that it is useless for people without a Retina. :) As
some may think otherwise, I state it here: IT IS NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN!
RetinaEmu is commercial software.
MACHINE USED FOR TESTING
Amiga 3000/25, 12 MB Fast RAM, 2 MB Chip RAM.
1 internal 880K floppy, 1 internal 1.76 MB floppy.
Quantum Empire 1080 MB internal hard drive.
Archive Viper 525 MB tape drive (internal).
"No name" 17" monitor with horizontal frequency going from 30-82 KHz
AmigaDOS 3.1, Kickstart 40.68, Workbench 40.42.
CSH 5.39 replacing Amiga shell, used together with KingCON 1.3
Retina BLT Z3 graphics board with 4 MB RAM
MFC multiserial card
ZyXEL U-1496E+ modem hooked to the MFC
HP DeskJet 500 hooked to the MFC
INSTALLATION
Easy, given you use the Installer script that comes with the software
update. Double-click the icon, select a few things, and off you go.
HISTORY
Since I bought my Retina BLT Z3 board in late July 94, I was
frustrated because I could only have 16 color Intuition screens and I was
bugging Thomas Dorn with endless requests for an update. Finally, the folks
at MacroSystems Germany took pity on him and made an update. They seem to be
very busy with the DraCo Amiga clone which is scheduled to come out this
spring if everything goes OK.
THE EFFECT
Now well - I can trick some folks into believing they are working on
an AGA Amiga - they can't tell the difference from an AGA machine as long as
they don't want to run stuff that does not multitask. There are still some
incompatibilities with existing software, but they are rare. And when you
have turned on the blitter mode, shell scrolling is so fast that even people
used to AGA will notice it ("say, why is your machine so fast? Have you
gotten a CyberStorm? Not quite. :( ).
OH NO! :)
What bugs me, however, is that I can't create group modes that work.
The single modes (not able to work in the much faster blitter mode) work OK,
however, with the exception of a 1024*768 @ 89 HZ with a horizontal frequency
of 75 KHz. I attribute this to my monitor - the 1024*768 @ 100 Hz mode runs
OK, though. Much more beautiful to look at. But the loss of the group modes
which are the only ones which can be used with the faster blitter emulation
is unacceptable.
Also, the requester of RetinaEmu version 2.1 which appeared on the
Amiga screen (not on the Retina) every time you wanted to use with with a
post 39.106 Kickstart is gone - something very important for frustrated
users.
DOCUMENTATION
If you have the documentation for the 2.1 or 2.2 version of
RetinaEmu, you can skip this point - you only have to know it works OK on
Kickstart 3.1 and gives full 256 colors on Intuition screens.
The original Retina documentation, which you can order if you would
like it (as said, not much has changed; for an experienced Retina user, the
manual is unnecessary), was written for people which know to interpret
information, and, sometimes, they are not very precise. But I can live with
it.
LIKES
At last, 256 colors on Intuition screens!
It is quite compatible with some AGA hacks that leave the
multitasking alone.
DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS
The self-made blitter modes are unusable - this can drive some users
nuts. If you don't care about somewhat slower screens, you can make your
own Retina screen modes (which you can use to redirect the Amiga output to
it) which work OK.
I would love real Amiga screen modes. But at least I should have
running group modes which work OK so I can use the blitter emulation to
speed up things. A ROM on the Retina should be able to make
non-multitasking stuff work OK on my Retina, but this has not a high
priority.
COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS
There is only EGS for the Retina, but I have not used this. I have
no base to compare anything to it when I want to stay with the Retina.
BUGS
See above for the bug with the group modes. The workaround,
according to Thomas Dorn, is to use the Standard emulation and to choose the
Retina screen mode you desire directly in RetinaEmu. There's no workaround
to make self-made group screen modes work - the internal group modes work OK.
VENDOR SUPPORT
I contacted MacroSystems Germany on numerous occasions about
different problems with the old as well as the new emu. Also Thomas Dorn
provided me the sad certainty that another Retina software update is
required to make the Retina even more useful than now.
I'm not associated with MacroSystems Germany in any way except as
customer.
WARRANTY
I don't know of any warranty.
CONCLUSIONS
I have mixed feelings about the Retina software update - on one hand,
you get 256 color Intuition screens; on the other, self made Retina group
screen modes don't work.
If I had to rate it, I would rate it with 3.5 bones (1 bone being "no
meat") out of 5 ("totally Doggy!").
I can recommend the update - also because of its low price, even if
you don't get everything you would have liked.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
This review is Freely distributable, but still
(c) 1995 by Rene Laederach.
You can reach me at following addresses:
2:301/723.4@fidonet
39:110/501.4@amiganet
44:8010/501@aminet (Switzerland only).
mussi@snoop.alphanet.ch
---
Daniel Barrett, Moderator, comp.sys.amiga.reviews
Send reviews to: amiga-reviews-submissions@math.uh.edu
Request information: amiga-reviews-requests@math.uh.edu
Moderator mail: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu
Anonymous ftp site: math.uh.edu, in /pub/Amiga/comp.sys.amiga.reviews