Hi,

I'm sure most people know about Total Amiga magazine already, but if not it was a high-quality Amiga-produced English language magazine running until 2007. They always had a strong focus on NG machines, so lots of things of interest to MorphOS users. Since closing, they've made PDFs available for the majority of magazines:

http://www.totalamiga.org/

Happy reading!

Well, it´s certainly nice that the issues are being shared.

It´s just too bad that the website is a bit quirky (looks quite odd in high resolutions) and as a result can be a bit annoying to navigate.

Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but free is still too expensive for Total Amiga.

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I don't think it's bad as part-time amateur product from a user group...especially for free!

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I don't think it's bad as part-time amateur product from a user group...especially for free!

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I don't think it's bad as part-time amateur product from a user group...especially for free!

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It can sort of be boiled down into five main aspects:

AMIGAONE IS GREAT BUY AMIGAONE BUY OS4
AMIGAONE IS GREAT BUY AMIGAONE BUY OS4
AMIGAONE IS GREAT BUY AMIGAONE BUY OS4
AMIGAONE IS GREAT BUY AMIGAONE BUY OS4
AMIGAONE IS GREAT BUY AMIGAONE BUY OS4

Beyond that there isn't much of interest.

> AMIGAONE IS GREAT BUY AMIGAONE BUY OS4
> Beyond that there isn't much of interest.

At least MorphOS and Pegasos weren't completely ignored:

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:totalamiga.org+morphos+OR+pegasos

You could say the same about Amiga Future. Sure, it covers MorphOS and AROS operating system updates, but the application coverage for these platforms is extremely limited (I'm referring primarily to AROS here, given that new MorphOS software are thin on the ground at the moment).

I enjoyed reading Total Amiga when it was published and wish it had continued for a few more years. It may have been cheaply produced, but the technical coverage was great, exploring productive uses of classic/PPC hardware in addition to software releases. By contrast, Amiga Future's reviews tend to be more light touch, focusing upon the basics only.

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Before I even scrolled down to this reply I was going to joke that you feel it's tainted because some of the contributors used OS4.

Total Amiga was a great magazine, managed mainly by Robert Williams, and I was sad at the time when it ended production, as others have said, it handled most of the OS flavours of Amiga, with very little bias, bearing in mind the hardware that was available to the team, and the magazine contributors gave really good advice and tutorials on the topics that the magazine covered.

I still have all of them in my collection, and even have the PDF CD which is great for searching for articles/sections that they covered, though less use these days, as I use MorphOS in the main, though I still have connections with Amiga Future. I should also add that I thoroughly enjoyed my 68k/PPC Amiga days - they are all (approx 6 systems) currently hibernating, awaiting some free space in my limited area set aside for MorphOS currently.

They will get their chance to rise again when I manage to gain more space . . . hang on my girlfriends I haven't forgotten you.

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IDK if TA was biased (cause I assume that's what KennyR imply) but since I was an author for AF, I can assure everyone that never I received any restriction from Andreas for what I should review on MorphOS / how big the reviews were going to be be or if my reviews would be cancelled (and I reviewed exclusively MorphOS software). If AF faces any shortage on AROS/MorphOS software review, that is because there isn't any author to step in and make the reviews about them and certainly not the other way around.

[ Edited by Cool_amigaN 26.09.2016 - 19:27 ]

For the record, I wasn't suggesting that AF is biased or that there is an editorial policy that Amiga-like operating systems should be ignored. However, there is a gap in its coverage that could be addressed. As mentioned, I'm particularly interested in seeing more AROS coverage. I've played about with the bootable CDs, but still feel I've only scratched the surface. It would be great to find out about software developments on this platform (maybe there aren't any - AROS Exec and AROS World seems fairly quiet).

AF is written by volunteers, which makes it difficult to commission articles on specific subjects. However, it's possible an open call for AROS articles might elicit some volunteers.

Anyway, going back to the original topic, I LOVE TOTAL AMIGA!

Amiga Future are always interested in new contributions for the magazine, whichever variant of Amiga it might be, so if there is anyone interested in offering an interesting article for insertion in the magazine, be that for AROS or Amiga Classic/OS4 or our favourite MorphOS, and even some tenuous link(s) to the Amiga platform sometime get a 'window of opportunity' as well, then send an e-mail via the following page Contact = Andreas Magerl (Chief Editor) at Amiga Future.

Andreas is usually prepared to listen to any good ideas, or read a submitted text version for an article. If he thinks it is worthy of addition into the magazine as a one-off, or as an item for addition into further issues then he will let you know, and you may become a more permanent member of the AF magazine staff . . . you never know.

That means anyone can offer an idea, that also includes any reader of the magazine, and that idea can be followed up, if necessary, by an AF magazine staff member to put together an interesting article for the magazine, if enough information can be gleaned or is already known to staff, or the contributor to do so.

We are all part of the Amiga Community. That, as far as I am aware, is the stance of the team/editorial staff at Amiga Future, and that's the way I feel it should be. The magazine needs good ideas, and is continuously willing to improve with anyone's help.

Got a good idea - then share it - you know where! Contact = Andreas Magerl (Chief Editor) at Amiga Future.

still funny to read some old articles from today's perspective.

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but yeah, even if they were quite indulgent on MorphOS/Pegasos with quite positive reviews they still used to end their articles with something like "MorphOS is cool but AmigaOS 4 WILL surely be better"

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HYPErion suggested that supporting PPC Macs was near impossible and they believed it. Now the official position is "why use a computer pulled from the garbage?" Certain users will always have a reason to not try MorphOS.

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"I won't ever use a computer that has lead in it." - Mikey C

(Despite DCE clearly stating no lead was used in Pegasos - it simply wasn't RosH compliant. Oh... and both AmigaOne and microA1 which he "won" were made using lead solder.)

[ Edited by KennyR 27.09.2016 - 21:21 ]

> HYPErion suggested that supporting PPC Macs was near impossible and they believed it.
> Now the official position is "why use a computer pulled from the garbage?"

Yes, the tune changed after Apple stopped producing PPC-based Macs. Interestingly, Adam "ACK" Kowalczyk (back then OS4 team member) said in 2006/2007 that missing or lacking documentation wasn't the reason for the decision against porting OS4 to Mac, but the non-availability as new good was. Two years later, the Friedens, Jörg Strohmayer and Costel "Cyborg" Mincea still preached the old reasoning that documentation would be needed.

> "I won't ever use a computer that has lead in it." - Mikey C

Ah well, fun times :-)

http://wrongpla.net/news/article165.html

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By May 2007 it was already common knowledge that OS4 had been ported to Mac Mini when it came out in the court docs. I don't know whether Andrea Vallinotto started the port in early 2007 or whether it was already underway during 2006.

> By May 2007 it was already common knowledge that OS4 had been ported to Mac Mini
> when it came out in the court docs.

Yes, Moana barely ran, and essential drivers were missing. Maybe that's what the Friedens, Strohmayer and Mincea were alluding to in 2009.

> I don't know whether Andrea Vallinotto started the port in
> early 2007 or whether it was already underway during 2006.

Moana was mainly developed during 2006.

http://morph.zone/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?forum=3&topic_id=6235&start=24
http://morph.zone/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?forum=3&topic_id=6235&start=32 (comment #33)

I don't know, there were a few magazines that came out during the drought of the slicks and I really enjoyed them. I still enjoy reading Total Amiga and Amiga Informer even today.