AmigaOS is not just commercially available through AmigaOS 3.2.1, MorphOS 3.15, and AmigaOS 4.1. It is also open-sourced named AROS. The AROS Research Operating System is a lightweight, efficient, and flexible desktop operating system, designed to help you make the most of your computer. It’s an independent, portable and free project, aiming at being compatible with AmigaOS at the API level (like Wine on Mac or Linux) while improving on it in many areas. The source code is available under an open-source license, which allows anyone to freely improve upon it.
Because AROS is open-sourced it is moved in many directions including becoming a huge success thanks to ApolloOS. But AROS does not only target 68k CPUs by Motorola. AROS also targets various x86 CPUs. So, if you really want AmigaOS for x86. Start supporting AROS! Because it got absolutely no restrictions or directions. It is the Linux UNIX!
AROS going 64-bit
Now there is a new Version after ABI_V1, SMP now it’s called ABI_V11, whatever that means. Alb42 calls it the most useless AROS release, but it is pushing AmigaOS into the 64-bit area of the world. He supplies most of his programs for the 64-bit AROS distro called AROS64.
In his post, he mentions that ABI_V11 leave out that nasty SMP stuff which made the structures huge and hard to align, so basically he had to do recompilation of most of his programs for AROS64. Or is the name ABI11? I for one thinks that AROS64 is a brilliant name and that one should be kept. 64-bit AROS is very interesting and it is taking AmigaOS to 64-bit x86 CPUs.
AmiTube included with the AROS64 ABI11 Release
He included some of his programs such as MUIMapparium which is an OpenStreetMap viewer, LEU that is a brilliant spreadsheet application, AYA which lets you ask mr Internet anything, AmiTube which lets you download YouTube clips, Hex2, MUIPlot, and MCAmiga. All work reasonably well, and they are all usable.
There are some bugs such as Font size calculation, therefor some size calculations fail, resulting in strange effects, for example, ListViews of Zune (like in MUIMapparium or AmiTube), but one can see that also in AYA, where the size of text is calculated. A rescale of the window and selecting of entries often cures the issues.
AmiTube which is the project by alb42 and Amitopia also comes with this AROS64 distribution which lets you grab YouTube content for Classic Amiga is ported to AROS64 too by him and he can reveal that it works well, shows preview images, and downloads all the movies, but there is no working player for CDXL or MPEG installed atm. With more people joining, this AROS64 distribution could get some needed help. So, if you need new challenges in your life? Tired of Linux or BSD? Want to see AmigaOS shine on x86? Then this AROS64 welcomes you.
Download AROS64 For Brave People Here!
It’s mainly aimed at really brave people and people who want to play with Free Pascal on AROS64 because this is for what it is made. Alb42 uses it to develop and test 64bit AROS Free Pascal. But you can do a difference?
Download: T100pUAD Linux Hosted Version 0.3 Size: 270 Mb. MD5: a952fcad08f1cb50364306a899c6f1ed
How to use Guide
Unpack at Linux x86_64 you will find a folder T100pUAD with 2 Startup scripts inside (StartAROS.sh and StartAROSwithNet.sh). Use them to start AROS, a new window will open with AROS running.
As always the warning, the AROS64 is still a very early alpha Version, most non-Free Pascal applications crash so be careful, but as a testbed for Free Pascal on a 64bit Amiga-Platform, it is certainly a good test.
Download as always on the T100pUAD Page
The original idea for the AmiTube program is by Michal Bergseth who wanted a YouTube client for Amiga because of his love for the CDXL video format.
Read all about it in a dedicated article on Amitopia explaining all about what AmiTube is about and Download the program from the AmiTube page on its page here.
Marcus aka alb42 is the brilliant coder behind the project. Visit the Discord AmiTube room here. Suggested programs to be used together
with AmiTube is AGABlaster for CDXL clips and RiVA for MPEG clips.
AmiTube is the first YouTube client for Classic and Nextgen Amiga
