Hi all PageStream 5 supporters.

Nice to see your interests here for this new absolutely great version of PageStream 5 which works really great under MorphOS

Of course for such a complex application, which imo, is at least as good as concurrent ones on the mac, it takes more time to get bugs corrected and new features implemented. Please be aware that for PageStream 5 there are not hundreds of developers working on it, but only a few which are putting really a lot of hours of work and effort into it to make it a great professional application for MorphOS.

Here are some screen grabs of the interface with the new icon set which is in gray nuances, as for all professional applications, so they do not interfere with the main point using the application: layout of documents!

But for those, which are in the need of a colored icon set, this will also be available during 2023. As the icons are designed as vector graphics (they are done with PageStream 5 btw ) they can quite easily be colored as you can see on one of the screen grabs.

For now the icons are not released yet, because most of them need to be redrawn in the correct size and can't be simply scaled to that, for quality reasons. A good example is the extended pointer set (please see screen grab) where each image needed to be drawn in the correct resolution/size.

That's a small update for now but I like to suggest to you to support the developers huge effort so that they don't loose courage to continue this project!

Best regards
Christoph

https://rmscomnas.myqnapcloud.com/share.cgi?ssid=0gZov7t
https://rmscomnas.myqnapcloud.com/share.cgi?ssid=0qqUk56

@ rms - Christoph, thanks for the links to the screen grabs that relate to what Papiosaur was referring to, and what I privately asked you about in my most recent email - a short time earlier 15-Dec-2022, the same morning you posted these images, that of your coloured icon set you have been working extensively on.

I can see that a lot of time and effort has gone into what you have done, and they will be a great addition and improvement to PageStream, as and when they get implemented and incorporated into the PageStream archive/program.

UPDATE - In the PageStream Forum - the GREEN LIGHT - for any additional icon set, with regard directly to the FREE replacement coloured icon set offer by discreetfx

This is not to detract from all the effort that Christoph Poelzl (rms) has already put in, but maybe 2 icon sets are better than 1!

Just thought I'd keep you all up-to-date with what Deron Kazmaier stated on the PageStream forum only a day or so ago - if none of you had noticed it yourselves ...

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So, I have sent discreetfx an email to let him know, as I said I would, and I am waiting to hear back from him on his decision from hearing this encouraging reply from Deron Kazmaier.

Also, I thought it also might be a bonus and benefit, that I hadn't thought of before, for us to have the option to use different Toolbar & Toolbox sets of icons, as with our choice of pointers on Ambient, just by swapping over the relevant .rsc file in the main PageStream directory, and keeping a folder with spare Toolbar-Toolbox icons .rsc files in there, with thumbnails, just in case any user fancied a change of appearance of PageStream's tools.

This is all conjecture at this point, but it would be a minimal change to PageStream, because as far as I am aware it would just requires the replacement, swapping over, of the .rsc file for the icon set to implement it by a user, so no additional programming would be required, just checking that it works correctly by Deron and others developing PageStream currently.

I wonder if anyone else has any other ideas or thoughts on this topic, as I would appreciate any constructive reply here from any other user(s) that we can all benefit from.

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I have tried PGS (actually DJ Nicks legal copy as he designed their website)
and I find it best word processor DTP on AmigaOS.

I have tried pre 2010 latest OS3 and OS4 versions and found OS4 PGS5 Beta very unstable and unusable.

contrary, I have found OS3 version to work as intended.
Only downside to Quark was that PGS does not pack fonts used with its file, so matter of fonts used
becomes highly important.

How much is MOS version and is it en par with OS3?

P.S.
I am looking for legal Amiga Writter or best and most modern WYSYG WordProcessor for
OS3 and MorphOS. Any suggestions, or I might use PGS and PDF export :D

G5 can handle it, as under OSX it runs MS and Apple Offices of the time just fine.

Other point of complaint is 100 to 150$ pricepoint.

Its simply mad for any software, at least in this time.

[ Edited by vox 18.12.2022 - 10:47 ]

@ vox - Just so you know, Bill Panagouleas (discreetfx) is likely to be giving away for FREE sometime in the next week or so, a few PageStream Pro v5.1.2 MorphOS licences to some lucky people - how he will decide who gets them I do not know, but some users are going to be lucky and get those licences for FREE !
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I wouldn't try ANY of the PageStream 5 versions prior to version 5.1.2, as there is way too much instability in all of those versions IMHO, that's if you can even get them to run at all for more than a few minutes/seconds. Even the current v5.1.2 Windows version has some issues reported about some inner workings it seems.

Not that the MorphOS version is bug-free, but if you enable"Enhanced Display" for the screen you use in MUI then it is extremely stable, but it does misbehave a little, very occasionally, but it doesn't crash, and you can still carry on with what you were doing usually. However, I am fortunate to have been able to report directly back to the developers for them to look into fixing the issues I have come across, which I have generally added onto this thread here, though you might have to read it all to find them.
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Bear in mind that PageStream's PDF export has at least 2 issues with 1. PNGs, that are not saved correctly - they display as basically grey 'matrixed' images, and 2. text - if filled with a gradient that feature is not saved as such, and other processing has to be done to the text to modify it into a "drawing" to be able to gradient fill it, but the fill does not appear the same as displayed initially, but it is a sort-of workaround. (Issues already reported to the development team for PageStream)

Also PageStream is a Desk Top Publishing program, and not intended directly as a wordprocessor, though it is easily capable of handling such everyday tasks, but it is capable of so much more. Though if you've used Quark then you know well enough about DTP I'd assume.

For OS3 my preferred word processor was WordWorth, though many users preferred Final Writer, which is supposed to be still be being developed by terminills, but Final Writer 7 current development ... is it stalled which it seems it is, See Comment #150 - currently last update unless someone else finds out to the contrary. Though that comment still hasn't been responded to since 1-Dec-2022

Development of PageStream v5 is still now continuing, for MorphOS, and also for Windows, which is amazing as its state was so dormant for about 15 years.

PageStream v5.1.2 is fairly stable, though there are a few teething issues with it, that are being worked on by the developers, which of course includes Deron Kazmaier, and also Frank Mariak from the MorphOS Development Team to iron-out some of the MUI issues and MorphOS dependencies.

Seeing as this is the first useable release of PageStream for MorphOS, though on paper there was another version, this v5.1.2 is remarkably well-behaved and stable, and seeing as there hadn't been a 'working' PageStream release for 15 years IMHO, other than the OS3 v4.1.5.6, then this may have marked a turning point in PageStream's future. At least I am a user that hopes this is going to be the case, and we seem to be a 'nose-ahead' of all the other platforms that PageStream was released for in previous years.

However, it is really fast compared to v4.1.5.6 for OS3 systems that also is included for free by Deron when anyone buys v5.1.2. PageStream v4.1.5.6 for OS3 works quite well, and a lot quicker under Trance on MorphOS than it does on 68k OS3. So, if you've got a classic Amiga system you can get the benefit of getting PageStream v4.1.5.6 for it bundled, at no extra cost, with PageStream v5.1.2 for MorphOS, which is a generous gesture by Deron Kazmaier.

If you don't already own any version of PageStream then the cost of the software is:

PageStream - Standard - USD - $99.95, EUR - €94.15, GBP - £82.08 (conversion from USD ($) is approximate)

PageStream - Professional - USD - $149.95, EUR - €141.14, GBP - £123.10 (conversion from USD ($) is approximate)

If you own specific earlier versions of PageStream then there are several options to upgrade from those to PageStream v5.1.2, so I cannot quote those prices anyway, and the prices I have quoted are only a rough estimate, a guide, as there may be other charges depending on which payment service you use to buy PageStream.

I would advocate buying the Professional version in preference to the standard one, as you get some nice features included in it that you otherwise just cannot utilise, though you can still upgrade to the professional release at a later date.

So, using the latest version of PageStream is a no-brainer with regard to speed, and it generally renders documents better than it did in v4.1.5.6 as PDFs in v5.1.2, with a few niggles that are being worked on (PNGs and Gradient fills, along with a few other issues that I think I have already mentioned in this thread).

Newsense you’re on the list for a free Pagestream MorphOS version next week as is vox. Who’s the last two lucky winners?

@ discreetfx - thanks (PM and email sent) for the offer of a FREE PageStream v5.1.2 MorphOS licence - it's really kind of you.

I hope you get those other lucky winners to contact you here really soon.

[EDIT] Seeing as I already have the software - I emailed discreetfx to opt out of the offer, as kind of him as it is, so someone else could gain the benefit from this gift, in the hope that those to get chosen by him really appreciate his great contribution to our community.

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Maybe it is me? :)
Looking forward to it, if there is any chance...

[ Editiert durch Primax 23.12.2022 - 08:43 ]

Count me in ! 😉
If possible (but, I already received a free book, so I don't want to abuse).

Thx ! It's really Xmas ! 😍

NewSense is out of the running since he already has the software. That frees up one more person to get this special gift.

:)

I also already got the free book (arrived yesterday, thanks!) but I'll take my chances if allowed.

Would be excelent to get this fantastic program so if there is not anyone more I'll be happy.

I bought version 5 Pro back in the day, I can tell you now I'm glad I did!

I would encourage all who don't win the raffle to consider picking it up.

It works very well for me.

I think the license prices are too high to encourage people to buy.

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I see where you're coming from. It does seem like a lot.

For me I see that all the people who developed this including Franks involvement, are likely countless hours of unpaid love. So I was happy to pay for the pro version quite a number of years ago. Devon still honors my license for updates as well, pretty nice if you ask me.

This is the story for MorphOS for me as well. I bought a few copies over years and I got 20 or so point releases including major application updates, and considering the number of individuals who basically donate their time to this project. I'm very happy to toss them a few bucks when I have extra. They never will be able to live off this, but to show appreciation and perhaps motivate them for further development is worth it to me.

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I can see your point as well, but this is not just a wordprocessor, it is a highly complex piece of software that has been developed (with a long hiatus since about 2010) to do what InDesign (Adobe), QuarkXpress does but (originally Publishing Partner on the Atari in 1985) and then became released for the Amiga, later for the Macintosh, then Windows, subsequently Linux .

It is a premier piece of software. You will not come across a similar, still in development, piece of software on the Amiga. It is not like Final Writer, AmigaWriter or WordWorth. The nearest to it were PageSetter(1, 2 & 3), Pro(fessional) Page 1, 2, 3, & 4), but they never got to the standard, barely even into colour, never mind 24-bit with screen anti-aliasing, and alpha-blending, that PageStream now features, which makes it worth the cost of what it currently costs.

If you want top-quality software, this is it! That costs money, but it is well worth the investment.

I originally bought a used copy of PageStream 3, back in about 1992, the printed manual for that version was about 560 pages in size, and upgraded from there, to v4, which was more complex, and now to v5 - another increase in complexity, with more to come I believe.

As others have said, Deron Kazmaier has been very fair transferring licences from one platform to another chosen one. If you can locate a seller with a copy of v3 or ideally v4, then if you buy it with all the licence codes (there are 2 passwords, 1 numerical, second alphanumeric) then Deron may honour ownership and you may be able to acquire a discounted upgrade. The older keycode/password has now been replaced with a more modern variant keycode.

Even though the waiting, since the last release (v5.0.5.8) which didn't work really (at all), have been a 'bitter pill' to take for many years, now that period seems to be over, with the necessary involvement of Frank Mariak, and of course Deron Kazmaier who without his enthusiasm nothing would have got anywhere, as it is his program, so we should all be extremely grateful for him "relighting his torch".

I have expressed my gratitude to Frank, and done more, and he and Christoph Poelzl (and his son) deserves a lot of the credit for it reaching this maturity, and the stability of the version it currently is at. Also I, and I believe Christoph, kept asking Frank to get involved, as I knew he had a serious interest in seeing its success materialise and its stability realised for MorphOS.

The developers, including Frank, are currently busy improving on the current release. Probably adding a few more features, and fixing the few bugs/issues that have been encountered and reported, and are now being worked on.

PageStream can be used as a professional wordprocessor, graphics creation program, DeskTop Publishing program, and many other uses that graphics, text and manual/book-let writing can be envisaged being used for.

There is no other program that is available for any Amiga-like system that can compare with PageStream, and you get a free copy of v4 for any classic Amiga system included with the MorphOS version, which also works on MorphOS, so if you buy the Pro version you get the Pro v4 program as well.

There are very few programs of this calibre being considered being developed for Amiga-like systems these days, so we should encourage the developers as much as possible to continue to improve it - for us to benefit from.

I know that some serious interest has been awakened by this MorphOS version for an OS4 release, but how likely that is likely to be achieved I can only guess at. As the effort required by Frank to get it to this stage has been enormous, and should be worthy of much gratitude by our community - that maybe should be realised as donations, in the same way that jacadcaps, and others, have been supported for his/their work on Wayfarer and Iris, and other programs.

PageStream is a program of great potential, now being realised for MorphOS users to enjoy utilising, and creating with.

@NewSense
Yes you have reason this is the only program of these features in development for Amiga and MorphOS currently but how many people will use it? not in my case, and buy it as support to develop new software for Amiga and MorphOS its a lot of money, and yes unfortunately for Amiga and MorphOS there is a free program for Win and Linux with the same features if someone use this software for proffesional etc. As word processor will be a good option while some day we will have a LibreOffice like.

@Templario

I've used Pagestream for so many years for so many things, even for music-editing for my younger students. Libre-office is, compared to PS, a limited program. I'm glad that PS is now again (yes, after many years of waiting) under development.
I've used it on my old Mac (died several years ago), Linux (installing it on artixlinux is a pain) and I'm glad I can use it again on my Morphos.
So, for me, keep up the good work!!!
Oh, and for all a merry Christmas and a happy new year...

regards Tom

DiscreetFX: I'm finally interested by a free copy of PagesStream 5.

Just purchased me the new pagestreamversion for morphos
Running it on powerbook runs OK.
One thing so far as soon as I change from pointer to text cursor or other tool the program does not react to this selection. It keeps the hand symbol for moving. A return before using, does help it seems. Is this a bug or am I doing something wrong?

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Glad to hear that - which PowerBook model are you using, & how much RAM in it, as I don't see any signature for you?
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This is a bug I reported to the development team back in mid September, as PageStream was released, so they are aware of it. There were a few issues that got reported, and I think I forgot to mention this one on this forum.

It is where the toolbox icons sometimes do not react correctly, or do not pop-back to the frame and just 'hang' down?

I usually have my toolbox as the floating square option so I can move it about wherever I need it most effectively, and if you click on the Object Tool, and then move the Toolbox with either the edges or the top border then the whole 'Fly-Out' set of tools from that 'specific' tool section also 'drop-down' - and become active, so if you happen to move the mouse pointer over one of them then they become the 'Active' tool - so be careful as you may end up affecting your project's work inadvertently and adversely by unintentionally using the wrong tool.

In fact, here's a 'funny bug', if that's possible - if you left-click-press-hold on the 'quadrant' tool and see those tools 'Fly-Out' and then release the mouse button so they 'Fly' back in, then do the same on the 'box' tool and allow them to go-back, and then on the 'pen' tool and let that tool return to the toolbox, and then on the 'Object' (pointer) tool and allow those tools to fly-back in . . . then . . . click on the Toolbox border frame, you will see ALL those tools 'Fly-Out' all together, and each one of them is active and if your mouse pointer moves over one of them, the first one that it crosses over will become the 'Active' tool. This should definitely NOT happen.

If you click on the Text Tool, Zoom, Line, or eyedropper tools which only have one option then move the Toolbox then the other 'Fly-Out' tools do not show up 'uninvited', but bear in mind that if you need to use the Text Tool or the Object Tool then the main project window has to be active for the F1 or F2, etc. Function Key options to be active/swap from tool to tool.

Hope this helps for now, but hopefully this bug will be fixed, hopefully that will be sooner rather than, in a later version.

Thanks for your answer NewSense.
Hope it will be fixed sooner then later it is annoying.

Payment for four new licenses has already been sent and verified by Deron. Winner selection will commence shortly. Good luck everyone.

It’s time for the PageStream 5.0 Pro winners list.

Vox, Primax, BatteMan, Tolkien

Congratulations, If you haven’t already done so please contact me with your email address so I can forward it to Deron. Also, Deron said you will have to register an account at Pagestream.org. Any further questions I’m here to help. If you wanted to win and didn’t don’t worry, DiscreetFX will give away more licenses of this excellent software in 2023.