So here I am, new MorphOS users for a couple of days and really impressed by the OS and everything. OSX was running so sluggish on this machine while MorphOS flies on it! Very neat! Still as a newbie I got a couple of questions and I hope someone can fill me in?

1.) OWB does have a memory leak, does it? I have the memory module activated at the top bar and it is so irritating to see memory usage constantly grow to like 70% when browsing the web. Once I close OWB, it jumps back to like 10% usage or something ...

2.) Struggling a bit with the Icon system in Ambient. I now understand what .info files are for and why some files are invisible. Still a bit awkward having to activate "view all files" every time. Is there a way to easy copy + paste a generic .info file in order to get a simple folder? Or can I make the "view all files" default ? (haven't found the setting yet)

3.) I noticed there is MorphOS Files, MorphOS Software Database and Aminet? Where do you guys get the latest files? (I do use the excellent Grunch, but I am looking for things like Icon-Sets)

4.) The skinability of MorphOS is excellent! Reminds me of the old classic MacOS days. Having a computer look the way I like is great I think I once saw a video of a MorphOS computer having an animated background where leafs would fall down the screen. Where can I get that?

5.) Is there a keyboard shortcut for iconifying the active window? (it's a bit tedious to use the menu every time I want put OWB on pause)

6.) I got a good solid post script compatible printer (Kyocera FS-1370DN). Is Postscript printing possible via MorphOS?

7.) Is there a website dedicated to MorphOS software reviews ? I'd really like to get to know what software is around. I'd be looking for sort of a financial planning software to keep track our family spendings ? Or a messenger supporting the ICQ protocol?

8.) Is there a way to make classic amiga games emulation starting by simply double click the icon, to give it a more native feeling? (thinking of something like running classic Mac OS software on Mac OS X)

9.) Any good MorphOS Blogs to read except Yasu's (retired for now) blog?


[ Edited by Chefsessel 08.01.2018 - 09:40 ]

Hi friend and welcome to MorphOS world, I'm sorry to can't answer to all your questions, but I try someones,
1.) I don't know.
2.) There is a easy way clicking with the right mouse button and in the menu choosing the information now opens a window with the default icon you can drag and drop your new icon and click in save, now the file appears with the icon, there is any icon utility to make the same thing but only I know and use one from Amiga 68k.
3.) Here in http://www.morphos-storage.net/ there are always the last software for MorphOS.
4.) Yes using the Ambient preferences.
5.) I don't know.
6.) I don't know.
7.) There are several but a interesting is this: http://www.warmup-asso.fr even this site has a android app for mobile devices with information the newest MorphOS software and news.
8.) I don't know.
9.) I don't know.

And thats is all, I hope help you in anything.

1. Browsing www requires heaps of ram these days, OWB is pretty outdated and the current hardware is ~10yrs old which doesn't help either.

2. Personally I don't bother with .info too much. Set the parent window as a lister, show all files and snapshot it (preferably for volume, make sure you have a disk.info there). You can do the same for "My MorphOS" view.

5. rxcmd OWB.1 HIDE. For custom hotkeys I use MMKeyboard, though for mouse you have to do it via Poseidon settings, also Ambient screenbar menu is nice for command + key. For general hotkeys check IControl settings and Ambient hotkeys.

8. For ADF images it's pretty straightforward ("Run >NIL: SYS:Tools/e-uae/e-uae -f SYS:Tools/e-uae/conf/A1200.conf -0 %sp" in Ambient's MIME action settings), for WHD games some more work is needed, for example - https://morph.zone/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12013&forum=3#131131

> 1.) OWB does have a memory leak, does it?

Yes, absolutely. This is supposed to be plugged in MorphOS 3.10.

> 2.) [...] can I make the "view all files" default ?

Refer to http://morph.zone/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11763&forum=3.

> 6.) [...] Is Postscript printing possible via MorphOS?

Yes. Printingps-update-4-9-2015-small.lha recommended (supposed to be part of MorphOS 3.10).

> 7.) [...] I'd be looking for sort of a financial planning software
> to keep track our family spendings ?

Refer to http://morph.zone/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12110&forum=9.

> Or a messenger supporting the ICQ protocol?

You can install the Jabber/XMPP client Jabberwocky_1.9_morphos.lha and register with a compatible Jabber/XMPP host that offers an ICQ transport, or register with any compatible Jabber/XMPP host and then with the ICQ transport of another Jabber/XMPP host that allows external registering with transports.

> 8.) Is there a way to make classic amiga games emulation starting
> by simply double click the icon, to give it a more native feeling?

Refer to
http://morph.zone/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=11959&forum=53&start=14
http://morph.zone/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8512&forum=3&start=7 (ADF)
http://morph.zone/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12013&forum=3 (WHDLoad)

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Yes, and to be more precise it's the WebKit's JavaScript engine which leaks like hell, and it does so on every other program/platform too (like with Safari on OSX). But luckily OWB tracks down the leaks and frees the memory when it is quitted! You can try to free some memory in run time by pressing the F12 key, but generally it's better just to restart the browser when needed. You come across with insanely heavy javascript pages nowadays, and even with 1GB mem you need to restart now and then...


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Check "Settings -> Ambient -> Window -> View Behaviour", there you can define default view and view mode. I like to keep them as List and All Files. I rarely do anything in the icon mode myself.. I just have snapshotted My MorphOS in the list mode and open it by double clicking anywhere in the desktop to get access to the filesystem.


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MorphOS Storage is the one which is kept most up-to-date nowadays, check it and Aminet regularly and you keep pretty well informed.


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Unfortunately that's a 3rd party extension for OS4 only (Candi).


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Hmm.. can't remember now if there's a shortcut, but if you don't have the iconify gadget on your top right window border, enable it from the global MUI settings (I'd advice enabling it globally instead of per program) from Windows -> Borders section. That's way more easier to click than doing something from menus.

But I'd say you're doing it wrong when you are thinking to iconify it in regular use :) I'd strongly recommend you to put OWB on its own screen instead of trying to use it among other windows. When on own screen you don't have to iconify it ever, you can just quickly swap screens to switch from the OWB to the Ambient desktop. Here's a how-to: http://library.morph.zone/Getting_Started#Making_OWB_to_Use_Its_Own_Screen


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Yes, it's easy and you don't have to install anything (DON'T install Ghostscript if anyone suggest that). As you probably want to use it via network, just configure Netprinter and Printer settings somehow like this (Laserjet5series can be more compatible than the 6 shown in the example picture, if you can't find better driver for your printer. That has worked for my Lexmarks etc.) and mount NETPAR: device (do "Mount NETPAR:" on the shell, or add such line to your S:user-startup). After those you can select NETPAR: as output on OWB, VPDF, etc and just print as PS.


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Amiga Future magazine has regular reviews of MorphOS software too, but I don't know about that kind of site...

Maybe this thread helps with that financial software issue:
https://morph.zone/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12110&forum=9#132705

/me is a hardcore IRC user and don't know anything about ICQs or messengers :P

Regarding putting OWB or any other program on its own screen I modified my Settings>System>IControl>Hotkeys "Screen To Back:" Hotkey, so that when I press Left Command+x it allows me to switch from screen to screen very quickly.

The reason choosing 'x' is because it is right next to the Left Command key so I can easily do that screen-swap with one hand, as the default setting is for Left Command+m, and Left Command+n to move the Desktop Window to front, which as a default setting makes it very awkward/cumbersome in my opinion to use, as it requires a more awkward hand position than my choice, IMHO. .

You can of course use the right mouse click when you are over the top right screenbar 'window' gadget to select options that including a specific active screen and left click on it to swap to the screen you want to change to, or select any of the other options then visible.

There is also another option that I have found useful, if you don't already know about it, and that is, to alter/edit the "Advanced.conf" file that is in System:Prefs/Ambient folder, so that the option that is by default disabled, by use of a semi-colon in front of ";donotputrefwindowtosleep = false" then reads "donotputrefwindowtosleep = true" this option allows you to continue to do other copying or deleting or renaming, etc. of files within a directory while another process is on-going, such as copying many files to a destination, while viewing an image or accessing/loading a file into another program which allows you to make better use of the whole system as you can multi-task within that directory structure.

I have found very few instances, if any, of issues connected with changing this functionailty, other than making the whole system easier, and more friendly to use.

I hope you really enjoy using MorphOS, as it's a great OS, and IMHO entirely worth it for the utter enjoyment of using a really efficient, customisable, and yet wonderfully easy-to-use, friendly OS, which is a rare thing indeed, so fully with such a fairly priced one-off payment, for the current and future releases, to buy a full license key.

Well thanks a lot to Templario, Korni, Andreas_Wolf, jPV and NewSense taking the time to answer my questions! (bonus thanks goes out to jPV for his MorphOS library... I did a lot of reading in it already and it helped to grasp the fundamentals :) )

Another question - I see there is a bounties section up here on this page. Is it actually updated? I think it's an awesome idea, but seeing that many deadlines have long passed (2010,2011) I wonder if it makes sense to actually chip in a few bucks ?

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The bounty section on warmup-asso.org is more recent. But I wouldn't 'chip in any bucks' on a bounty that's not assigned to any developer (and Expose/Scout NG are already funded, while new Oddyssey is assigned to Fab, but Fab is constantly AWOL, so...).
On the other hand - if beworld/Papiosaur agree that the bounty for ScummVM 1.9.0 can be fulfilled with 100% working version 2.0 then I'll be one of the first to support it.

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It's not MY library, but I've written a lot into it and I try to advertise it, because it's such a good place to have information :)