@database AmigaInABox Welcome guide
@$VER: Welcome-me-do 1.1 (20.06.00) Written by James Maurice Battle

@node "MAIN" "Welcome to AmigaInABox!"

  *****************************************************************************

                           @{b}AmigaInABox 2000 Welcome Guide@{ub}

  *****************************************************************************

  Welcome to AmigaInABox!  The operating system you are using is running inside
  emulation software. Please take a few moments to read this guide, which acts
  as an introduction to the AIAB package.  Please choose a topic:

  @{" About UAE " link "Introduction"}....................A brief (and inaccurate) introduction to UAE

  @{" About AIAB " link "AIAB"}...................A quick, no-nonsense info-bite about AIAB

  @{" Desktop Basics " link "Desktop"}...............Some quick tips on Workbench usage
       @{" Workbench Partition " link "Workbench"}

  @{" Opening Files " link "Files"}................Using Multiview and WizARC to open files
       @{" Multivew " link "Multiview"}
       @{"  WizARC  " link "WizARC"}

  @{" The AIAB-Menu " link "StartMenu"}................Opening programmes in a more familiar way

  @{" The Programmes " link "Programmes"}...............Descriptions of the tools in the AIAB-Menu

  @{" Speed Testing " link "SpeedTesting"}................Accurately measuring the speed of UAE

  @{" Anything Else? " link "AnythingElse"}...............Final words about AmigaInABox

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  @{" Workbench 3.1 Guide " link "WB3.1.guide/MAIN"}........Detailed guide about Workbench 3.x
@endnode

@node "Introduction" "About UAE

@{b}@{u}About UAE:@{ub}@{uu}

  A few years ago, an ambitious coder began work on the "Unusable Amiga Emulator"
  now known as UAE.  It was put together as more of a joke than anything serious.
  However, after a short time the code became a little more respectable hence
  the "Unusable" was dropped and replaced with the slightly less comical "Unix".
  The project gradually improved to the extent that even the most complicated
  tasks and hardware trickery were being recreated within a software environment
  - indeed UAE was attracting quite a following, amongst nostalgic gamers and
  hardcore Amigans.

  Fast-forward to mid-1997. Mathias Ortmann took the source code and ported it
  to a 32bit Windows application, the rest is history, with WinUAE - now
  maintained by Brian King - perhaps the closest thing you can get to an Amiga
  without actually owning the real thing.

                                 ************

  The screen, the window and indeed the very text you are reading right now,
  are all testament to the marvels of this modern coding.  Five years ago the
  very thought of emulating an Amiga would have seemed impossible, however the
  extensive work of several people, helped largely by the availability of 400mhz+
  processors, have facilitated near perfect Amiga emulation, and it is this
  wonderous feat that is being exploited by the AmigaInABox package currently
  running on your PC.

  @{b}@{u}NB@{ub}@{uu}:  If, at any time you wish to exit the emulation and return to Windows,
       just press the @{b}Alt+F4@{ub} key combination.


  @{"<--- Back to Contents" link "MAIN"}                                        @{"Next page --->" link "AIAB"}
@endnode

@node "AIAB" "About AIAB"

@{b}@{u}About AIAB:@{ub}@{uu}

  AIAB stands for AmigaInABox and is (in a nutshell) a pre-configured AmigaOS
  setup containing loads of useful tools, created on and intended for WinUAE.

  If you've ever used or owned an Amiga before but recall seeing things a little
  differently to how they appear now, dont panic.  Its quite possible that a
  couple of years have passed since you last saw the Workbench, and during that
  time several advances have been made both in terms of software and hardware.
  However I assure you that the basics have remained more or less the same.

  You may have bought "AmigaForever" or tried WinUAE before and are wondering
  what all the fuss is about.  Well, AmigaForever is a great package in terms of
  getting Amiga emulation legalised (even though AIAB is also 100% legal), yet
  is somewhat lacking in the functionality department - many argue that the setup
  offered in AmigaForever is too basic to be any fun, since so many extra tools
  need to be downloaded and installed before it even approaches being usable.

  With AIAB however, practically everything you'll ever need is instantly
  available - right "out of the box" - which is why its the preffered choice
  amongst both emulation newbies and ex-Amiga junkies.  Whats more, the setup is
  especially configured for WinUAE with the emphasis on ease-of-use and speed;
  it even looks pretty good! (the same cannot be said about AmigaForever).

                                 ************

  Well, thats enough reading for now - its time to get those hands dirty!


  @{"<--- Back to Contents" link "MAIN"}                                        @{"Next page --->" link "Workbench"}
@endnode

@node "Desktop" "The Workbench Desktop"

@{b}@{u}Workbench Basics:@{ub}@{uu}

  The Workbench screen you see before you looks more or less like any other
  operating system desktop, with icons dotted around the screen.  Along the left
  are the device icons:

  @{" Ram Disk " SYSTEM "c:opendrawer RAM:"} is usually used for temporary storage, such as files extracted from
  LHA/LZX/ZIP archives downloaded off the internet (more on this later).

  @{" Applications " SYSTEM "c:opendrawer Applications: ALL"} and @{" HD-Games " SYSTEM "c:opendrawer HD-Games:"} partitions are used for the AIAB upgrade packages (for
  Music/Internet programmes and specially fixed games) and will remain empty
  until extra packages are added.

  @{" Workbench " SYSTEM "c:opendrawer Workbench:"} contains vital system files required for the AmigaOS to function,
  aswell as several extra programmes which improve Workbench use and generally
  make AIAB what it is.
                                 ************

  To select an icon, click it once with the LMB.  Now pressing the RMB and a menu
  will appear, with several sub-menus and options.  Most are pretty self
  explanatory, but if you're puzzled over something, experiment - you can't do
  any harm!

  @{"<--- Back to Contents" link "MAIN"}                                        @{"Next page --->" link "Workbench"}
@
@endnode

@node "Workbench" "The Workbench Partition"

@{b}@{u}The Workbench Partition:@{ub}@{uu}

  Double-click the @{" Workbench " SYSTEM "c:opendrawer Workbench:"} icon.  You should see several more icons, so take
  a look inside these icons, which general house the following:

  @{" Prefs " SYSTEM "c:opendrawer sys:Prefs"} - Programmes to configure the look and feel of the AmigaOS are usually
  held in this folder.  Settings files are also held in this folder, but these
  icons are hidden by default.

  @{" Utilities " SYSTEM "c:opendrawer sys:Utilities"} - Programmes that display or open other files are kept here. The
  best example, "Multiview", is used to open pictures, text and guide documents -
  like the one you're reading right now. (more on this later)

  @{" WBStartup " SYSTEM "c:opendrawer sys:WBstartup"} - Programmes that you wish to open every time Workbench boots are
  held here.  This is the equivalent of the "Startup" folder in Windows.

  @{" Devs " SYSTEM "c:opendrawer sys:Devs"} - Programmes that handle input/output devices, such as printer drivers
  are stored here.  If this sounds complicated, dont worry - its pretty unlikely
  that you'll ever have to delve into the murky depths of this folder.

  @{" Tools " SYSTEM "c:opendrawer sys:Tools"} - Programmes that are used by or control other tools are kept here.  This
  is also a good place to put large-ish tools which consist of several files,
  like "Directory Opus", or Workbench-style games.

  @{" System " SYSTEM "c:opendrawer sys:System"} - Programmes that are occasionally required for the OS are contained in
  this folder.  Again, its unlikely that most users will ever use these tools.

  @{"<--- Back to Contents" link "MAIN"}                                        @{"Next page --->" link "Files"}
@endnode

@node "Files" "Opening Files"

@{b}@{u}Opening Files@{ub}@{uu}

  AIAB comes with several programmes for viewing files.  Two of the most useful
  in the package are Multiview and WizARC - a short description and example of
  their use is given below:

  @{" Multivew " link "Multiview"}...............Used for showing/reading files.

  @{"  WizARC  " link "WizARC"}...............Used for unpacking LHA/LZX/ZIP files.

                                 ************

  @{"<--- Back to Contents" link "MAIN"}                                        @{"Next page --->" link "Multiview"}
@endnode

@node "Multiview" "Opening Files - Multiview"

@{b}@{u}Opening Files - Multiview@{ub}@{uu}

  The Multiview programme is arguably the best tool Commodore/Amiga ever wrote.
  It makes use of 'datatype' file classes to identify and display different types
  of files.  AIAB currently has only a small selection of datatypes installed,
  (for viewing text and 'guide' files, IFF and JPEG pictures and basic sound
  samples) however feel free to install any number of extra datatypes for HTML,
  pictures, movies, mp3s and hundreds of other file formats.

                                 ************

  Double-click the Workbench partition - you'll see several folders, but just
  one file: "Morris.jpg" - double-click this file and multiview will show it.
  What do you think to my car - pretty cool huh?

  Now try clicking the 'VIEW' button in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
  This button will quickly load Multiview, and show a file requestor.  Move the
  scrollbar down and double-click "Morris.jpg" again.

  You see, with the AIAB setup, there are several ways of doing the same thing,
  so pick the easiest way for you!  Drag'n'Drop support means you can drag the
  "Morris.jpg" icon into the file requestor, and you can even drop the same icon
  onto the "VIEW" button!
                                 ************

  Close the Multiview window, then double click the "Docs" box in the top-right
  corner.  You'll see several icons showing 'guide' files, like the one you're
  currently reading.  These docs contain vital information regarding the tools
  found with AIAB, so if you get really stuck, take a few minutes reading them.

  @{"<--- Back to Contents" link "MAIN"}                                        @{"Next page --->" link "WizARC"}
@endnode

@node "WizARC" "Opening Files - WizARC"

@{b}@{u}Opening Files - WizARC@{ub}@{uu}

  Another great tool found in the AIAB setup is WizARC a universal frontend for
  creating/extracting LHA/LZX/ZIP archives - making typing long commands and
  paramaters a thing of the past.  Think of an Amiga equivalent of WinZIP and
  you ought to get the idea.

  Say you've just been downloading files from Aminet [http://de.aminet.net], and
  now wish to install them on your new Amiga setup. Well, you'd probably the
  archive to the "Applications" partition.  Lets try an example:

                                 ************

  Double-click the Workbench partition, then double-click the "Utilities" folder.
  You'll see several useful programmes, but dont be tempted to wonder off on your
  own accord - instead, load the "WizARC" programme.

  Now open the "Applications" partition and drag the "WizARC-demo.lha" file into
  the WizARC window.  The contents of the LHA archive will be listed, next click
  the "Extract All" button.  You'll see a file requestor, prompting you to select
  the destination.  Just click "Okay".

  Finally, take a look in the "Ram Disk" partition, and you'll see the extracted
  files which can be loaded into Multiview.

  Note that you didnt have to extract the files first, you could have just double
  clicked them whilst listed in WizARC.  Similarly, you didnt have to load WizARC
  to open the archive, you could have just double-clicked the "WizARC-demo.lha".
  As I said earlier, thats the great thing about the AIAB setup, you can do the
  same thing in lots of easy ways.

  @{"<--- Back to Contents" link "MAIN"}                                        @{"Next page --->" link "StartMenu"}
@endnode

@node "Startmenu" "The AIAB Start-Menu - Introduction"

@{b}@{u}The AIAB Start-Menu@{ub}@{uu}

  Love it or hate it, you cannot deny that the Start-Menu introduced in Win'95
  is a quick and easy way of opening programmes.  There are several utilities
  available for the Amiga that attempt to recreate this intuitive feel - some
  are pretty awful, whilst others are really ace.  AIAB makes use of "ScreenTAB"
  which, of course, falls into the later category - not only does it look nice,
  with standardised images next to menu items, but its also dead easy to setup
  and configure.

  Go on, give it a try!  Move the mouse to the bottom of the screen and click
  the "AIAB" button in the corner - the menu should pop-up, allowing you to
  load programmes with ease.
                                 ************

  Okay, now click the @{" Shut Down " SYSTEM "execute >nil: s:ShutDown.script"} item.  A requestor will appear asking if you
  wish to @{b}Shut Down@{ub} (quit the emulation and return to Windows), @{b}Reboot@{ub} (perform
  a 'soft-reboot' function, equivalent to holding down @{b}CTRL+Win95+Win95@{ub}) or
  @{b}Neither@{ub} (close the requestor).

  Next try the @{" AmigaOS Prompt " SYSTEM "newcli WINDOW=kcon:250/220/550/300/AIAB-Shell/close/keepclosed/IMAGEdef_kingcon"} item.  A shell console window will appear which
  ought to look pretty familiar, however this shell uses the "King-CON" utility
  which adds several useful features such as filename completion.  Try typing:

  @{b}Workbench:>@{ub}    multiview docs/scr                              [then hit @{b}TAB@{ub}]

  Notice how King-CON automatically filled in the rest of filename?  This great
  feature also works with disknames and folders, saving an awful lot of typing!
  So you see, the AIAB package combines the best Amiga tools around, in such a
  way that you wont have to learn how to use a new OS all over again!

  @{"<--- Back to Contents" link "MAIN"}                                        @{"Next page --->" link "Programmes"}
@endnode

@node "Programmes" "The AIAB Start-Menu - Programmes"

@{b}@{u}Programmes in the AIAB menu@{ub}@{uu}

  There are loads of great tools included with the AIAB setup, most of which can
  be loaded using the AIAB-Menu.  Heres a quick run-down of whats available:

                                 ************
@{b}@{u}Main Menu:@{ub}@{uu}

  @{" Shut Down " SYSTEM "execute >nil: s:ShutDown.script"}       -  An option to Quit the emulation or Reboot the Amiga.
  @{" Run Command " SYSTEM "scalos:modules/execute_command.module"}     -  A requestor for running programmes with arguments.
  @{" AmigaOS Prompt " SYSTEM "newcli WINDOW=kcon:250/220/550/300/AIAB-Shell/close/keepclosed/IMAGEdef_kingcon"}  -  A shell command prompt with several handy features.
  @{" Multiview " SYSTEM "sys:utilities/multiview"}       -  A programme to open media files. (see previous pages)

                                 
@{b}@{u}Commodities:@{ub}@{uu}

  This menu entry displays any "commodities" running 'in the background'.  It
  also allows the user to disable or end the programme, aswell as opening the
  GUI to configure any options.

                                 
@{b}@{u}Disk Tools:@{ub}@{uu}

  @{" Directory Opus " SYSTEM "dopus:DirectoryOpus"}  -  Needs no introduction - The best file-manager ever!  Used
                        for everyday disk management, & especially setup for AIAB.
  @{" DirScanner " SYSTEM "sys:utilities/DirScanner Workbench: Applications: HD-Games:"}      -  Search harddrives for files, and search files for text.
  @{" Format " SYSTEM "sys:system/format"}          -  Format floppy disks and hardfiles, but @{i}@{b}not@{ui}@{ub} the "virtual"
                        folder-based harddrives thatat AIAB uses.

@{b}@{u}Graphics:@{ub}@{uu}

  @{" Visage " SYSTEM "c:Visage RTG Workbench:"}          -  Multi-format picture viewer, which supports datatypes.
  @{" Zoom! " SYSTEM "c:Zoom"}           -  Cute little tool to enlarge areas of the screen under the
                        mouse.  The scale factor can be changed using the +/- keys.
  @{" Personal Paint " SYSTEM "Applications:ppaint/ppaint"}  -  Superb multi-format paint package, similar to DPaint.
                        [@{i}Requires the @{b}AIAB-PPaint.zip @{ub} upgrade pack @{b}@{ub}@{ui} *]
                      

@{b}@{u}Music:@{ub}@{uu}                  [@{i}Requires the @{b}AIAB-Music.zip @{ub} upgrade pack @{b}@{ub}@{ui} *]

  @{" Octamed v5 " SYSTEM "Applications:Music/octamed/octamed.v5"}      -   Legendary music mod creater/sequencer
  @{" Eagle Player " SYSTEM "Applications:Music/EaglePlayer/EaglePlayer"}    -   Marvellous multi-format music player, supporting hundreds
                         of module formats, such as @{b}David Whittaker@{ub} and @{b}TMFX@{ub}.
  @{" ExoticGUI " SYSTEM "Applications:Music/ExoticRipper/ExoticGUI"}       -   Nice GUI for the unbeatable @{b}Exotic Ripper@{ub} mod ripper, used
                         by yours truley to rip the music from his favourite games.


@{b}@{u}Settings:@{ub}@{uu}

  @{" ScreenMode Prefs " SYSTEM "sys:prefs/Screenmode"}  -  Configure the display properties of the Workbench.
  @{" Font Prefs " SYSTEM "sys:prefs/font"}        -  Configure the screen/icon/shell fonts of the Workbench.
  @{" Visual Prefs " SYSTEM "sys:prefs/GUI"}      -  Configure the look and colours of the Amiga GUI.
  @{" akJFIF Prefs " SYSTEM "sys:prefs/akJFIFprefs"}      -  Configure the quality/speed of the JPEG image datatype.
  @{" ScreenTab Prefs " SYSTEM "sys:prefs/ScreenTab"}   -  Configure the AIAB Start-Menu.
  @{" MCP Prefs " SYSTEM "sys:prefs/MCPPrefs"}         -  Configure the multiple patch programme, MCP.
  @{" MUI Prefs " SYSTEM "sys:prefs/MUI"}         -  Configure the look and feel of MUI programmes.
  @{" Locale Prefs " SYSTEM "sys:prefs/Locale"}      -  Configure the language used for Workbench.
                         [@{i}Requires the @{b}AIAB-Language.zip @{ub} upgrade pack @{b}@{ub}@{ui} *]
  @{" MagicMenu Prefs " SYSTEM "sys:prefs/MagicMenu"}   -  Configure the look and feel of right mouse button menus.

  @{" Scalos ---> " SYSTEM "c:opendrawer sys:prefs/Scalos"}
                @{u}Scalos Prefs:@{uu}    -  Configure Scalos, the OS replacement.
                @{u}Scalos Menu:@{uu}     -  Configure the RMB pop-up menus.
                @{u}Scalos Palette:@{uu}  -  Configure the screen palette/pens.
                @{u}Scalos Pattern:@{uu}  -  Configure background images.


@{b}@{u}Internet:@{ub}@{uu}         [@{i}Requires the @{b}AIAB-Internet.zip @{ub} upgrade pack @{b}@{ub}@{ui} *]

  @{" AmIRC " SYSTEM "applications:Internet/AmIRC"}       -  Award winning IRC client.
  @{" AmFTP " SYSTEM "applications:Internet/AmFTP"}       -  Quality FTP client.
  @{" Voyager NG " SYSTEM "applications:Internet/V"}  -  The best WWW browser on the Amiga.


@{b}@{u}Mixed Utils:@{ub}@{uu}

  @{" Exchange " SYSTEM "sys:tools/Exchange"}   -  Manage any running commoditiy programmes.
  @{" GoldED " SYSTEM "GoldED:GoldED"}     -  Classic ASCII text/script editor.
  @{" Iconizer " SYSTEM "c:iconizer"}   -  Easy to use, drag-n-drop icon changer.
  @{" WizARC " SYSTEM "sys:utilities/WizARC"}     -  Wonderfully intuitive GUI for LHA/LZX/ZIP archives.
                   [explained in more detail @{"here" link "WizARC"}]
  @{" Clock " SYSTEM "sys:utilities/clock"}      -  Basic clock tool from Commodore.
  @{" Show Font " SYSTEM "sys:utilities/showfont"}  -  Displays currently installed fonts.
  @{" SimplePAC " SYSTEM "sys:tools/simplepac"}  -  Brilliant PAC-Man game, in resizable Workbench window.


@{b}@{u}System Tools:@{ub}@{uu}

  @{" Scout " SYSTEM "sys:system/Scout"}            -  Useful tool to show currently available fonts, libraries,
                         devices, tasks, assigns etc.
  @{" Picasso96 Speed " SYSTEM "sys:utilities/P96Speed"}  -  Nice benchmarker to measure/compare GFX card performance.
  @{" SnoopDos " SYSTEM "c:SnoopDOS"}         -  Excellent system tool to monitor programme calls, and
                         find out why a programme failed to load etc.
  @{" SysSpeed " SYSTEM "sys:tools/SysSpeed/SysSpeed"}         -  Lovely benchmarker to measure/compare system performance.


                                 ************

@{u}Note:@{uu}    Extra programme upgrades are available from the AIAB website.

 @{"<--- Back to Contents" link "MAIN"}                                        @{"Next page --->" link "SpeedTesting"}
@endnode

@node "SpeedTesting" "Speed Testing"

@{b}@{u}Speed Testing@{ub}@{uu}

  The question on everyone's lips when using UAE is "How fast is it compared
  to a @{i}real@{ui} Amiga?"  Well, this depend largely on the machine you are running
  UAE on, and the Amiga you wish to compare it with.

  The fact is that compared to a modern-day Amiga (eg: an A4000/060), UAE is
  actually pretty slow; even running on an Athlon 600, WinUAE (in terms of CPU
  clock speed) is comparable to an 030/33mhz based Amiga, pretty crap by todays
  standards.

  However all this depends on the operation that is being performed - at some
  tasks, notably those involving heavy use of a GFX card (using Picasso96 and
  UAEgfx), WinUAE is *quick*, thanks to the PC's gfx chips, used directly by
  WinUAE.
                                 ************

  Load @{"SysSpeed" SYSTEM "SYS:Tools/SysSpeed/SysSpeed"} through the AIAB Start-Menu.  You'll see a large window listing
  hundreds of numbers, divided into several columns displaying the results of
  tests from different users PCs:
                            @{b}You@{ub}           -   Results from any test you perform
                            @{b}Jaybee's PC@{ub}   -   Results from *my* P233/266mhz
                            @{b}Cookies PC@{ub}    -   Results from Cookies PII/350mhz
                            @{b}Jimmys PC!@{ub}    -   Results from Jim's Celaron 500mhz
                            @{b}Steve's AMD@{ub}   -   Results from Steve's Athlon 600mhz

  The first and last columns show the name of the test being performed, and the
  speed comparison of the specified machine (the default being my P233).

                                 ************

  Before you can begin testing, you need to enter some information.  Click the
  "Preferences" tab at the top of the window, and from the "General Prefs" tab
  change the value of the "Screenmode 8bit/Hi/True" entries to a UAEgfx 640x480
  screen, of relevannt colour depth.  Next click the "Module Prefs" page, and
  enter something applicable in the "Short Name" box.  Finally, click Save.

                                 ************

  Now you can begin testing.  Click one of the tests on the "High" or "Low" page,
  and wait as it is peformed.  Then read across the colums to see how fast your
  UAE setup is.  The "Compare" column ought to give values above 1.00, if they're
  not, it means your PC has performed *worse* than my lowly P233....if however,
  the values are significantly greater than 1.00 you're doing well, and you may
  wish to change the comparison machine (using the "Relative to" cyclemenu).

  If you're feeling adventurous, you can change the tested machines to *real*
  Amigas - just go back to the "Module Prefs" page and select a different setup.

  If you wish, you can click the "Make Module" button, which will run through
  each test, and save the results to a (suitably named - ie: CPUs specs) file,
  which can be emailed off to me!

  @{"<--- Back to Contents" link "MAIN"}                                        @{"Next page --->" link "AnythingElse"}
@endnode

@node "AnythingElse" "And Finally...."

@{b}@{u}And Finally....@{ub}@{uu}

  Hopefully this guide goes some way to make the AmigaInABox package easier to
  use, (although I doubt it answers any complicated questions).  However, if you
  have any suggestions for this guide (maybe you've been looking for details on
  how to do something, but find its nowhere to be seen....) please dont hesitate
  to contact me.

  If you get really stuck dont forget that the @{" Docs " SYSTEM "c:opendrawer sys:docs"} box in the top right corner
  of the screen contains detailed help files on how to use many of the programmes
  in the AIAB package, so if you get really stuck, check them out!

  Also, although its not absolutely necessary, I recommend you skim-read the
  @{" Scalos " LINK "Scalos.guide/MAIN"} guide, since some aspects of the OS are slightly different to the
  original Workbench.

  Finally, if you want to know more about Workbench, make sure you take a look at
  the @{" Workbench 3.1 Guide " LINK "WB3.1.guide/MAIN"} by Peter Hutchinson - it contains all the information
  you need to become familiar with this wonderful OS.

  Well thats it!  Thanks alot for reading, I hope you find AmigaInABox as useful
  as I intended it to be.

  Cheers!

  James Maurice Battle - jaybee@aiab.freeserve.co.uk - www.emuunlim.com/aiab



 @{"<--- Back to Contents" link "MAIN"}
@endnode
