TO: 2.0 Pre-Release Testers Dear Tester, Thank you for testing developer pre-release 2.0 B5. The preliminary 2.0 software and docs are copyrighted, proprietary, preliminary, and subject to change. None of these materials may be distributed in any way. You also may not discuss describe, or display any part of the enclosed materials in any public forum or manner. You may only discuss them privately with CBM personnel and other official testers. Note that there are now TWO different report forms for Compatibility Reports and System Bug Reports, and some new tools. Read on... Please test all of your commercial Amiga products under this release and submit a Compatibility Report for each product, including those that are working fine. Reports are expected from all testers. Read the Compatibility document on the Kickfile disk for information on the various compatibility issues and areas. Please retest ALL of your products with each new release of the OS, and submit new reports for any product that behaves differently under the new release. If you have any products with severe problems and can not determine the cause, please contact CATS or your local support organization for assistance. If your product demonstrates compatibility problems, please, if possible, send two copies to CATS so that it will be available for in-house testing under interim releases. Many compatibility problems have already been located and addressed thanks to prompt and informative reports from developers. But if we don't know something is broken or different, we can't fix it. If your program inherits any characteristics from Workbench (colors, fonts, screen size), be sure to test with Workbench set to a variety of sizes and fonts. The fonts are all in the fonts directory of the Extras disk. If you must boot your product test it, be aware that on a soft-kicked machine, rebooting brings you back to 1.3. So, to test a bootable disk, you must reboot without the disk inserted, then insert the bootable disk while KickIt is resetting the machine into 2.0. Try out the new 2.0 features and utilities. A System Bug Report form is provided on the KickFile disk for any bugs found in the new commands and operating system software. Programmers should also study the autodocs for the new functions and libraries, and try to use as many of them as you can. We need feedback on the interfaces, functions, and capabilities that the system software designers have provided. Write some custom gadgets. Try new screen modes. Try out as many new features, functions, and libraries as you can, and let us know promptly if you see any problems, omissions, or incompatibilities. System Bug and Compatibility Report forms and instructions are provided in the ReportForms file on the Kickfile disk. The Kickfile disk also contains a SampleStartup file which describes how to install 2.0 so that your machine can boot into 1.3 or 2.0. A KnownBugs file may also be included on the Kickfile disk. Please read all of these before installing or trying 2.0. Please report all new bugs, problems, omissions, and incompatibilities promptly. Kickfile/tools contains Config (for outputting your machine's software, hardware, and chip configuration), cpu.doc (explains how MMU owners can use cpu and cputrap to check for use of uninitialized pointers and other illegal or low memory accesses), Kickit (for soft-kicking 2.0 kick.[version].20 kickfile, and Mmukick for GVP owners (requires special PALs from GVP and a special $F00000 kickfile from CATS. Call CATS Admin 215-431-9180 is you need the $F00000 kickfile; call GVP about the PALs). If you are using any third party handlers, programs, or background tools, please try to reproduce your bugs in a standard environment before you submit your report. If the bug only occurs in conjunction with particular third party software or hardware, please note this in your report, and provide the name, company, company address, company phone number, and version of the third party item. BIX is very active right now with 2.0 testing and discussion in our closed Commercial conference (amiga.com) and closed Certified area (amiga.update). If you need information about getting on BIX, call the BIX Customer Service Line 1-800-227-2983 (or 603-924-7681 from New Hampshire and outside the US). 2.0 Pre-Release Instructions ============================ ***** This Release consists of the following pre-release software: - Kickfile disk containing 512K 2.0 Kick.[version].20 file - Workbench 2.0 - Extras 2.0 - Autodocs-Includes 2.0 ***** Where to find some important commands and files: NOTE: Because of disk space limitations, some of the autodocs and linker libs/fd's have been placed on the Extras disk. - Amiga.lib In the libs.zoo archive on Extras disk - Autodocs In romdoc.zoo archive on Autodocs/Includes, AND in diskdoc.zoo archive on Kickfile. - BugReport In ReportForms file on Kickfile disk - CompatReport In ReportForms file on KickFile disk - CPU Workbench/c directory (cpu.doc in Kickfile/tools) - Examples In Examples.zoo file of Autodocs-Includes disk - FD files In the libs.zoo archive on Extras disk - Includes (Asm) In the i.zoo archive on Autodocs/Includes - Includes (C) In the h.zoo archive on Autodocs/Includes - KickIt Tools directory of Kickfile disk - Kick.[vers].20 In the root of the Kickfile disk - KnownBugs Kickfile disk - MMUKick Tools directory of Kickfile disk - SampleStartup Kickfile disk ***** How to boot 2.0 In order to use the new 2.0 Workbench, you must "soft-kick" the 2.0 operating system "kick.[version].20" using the new "Kickit" command (both found on the Kickfile disk). Owners of GVP accelerator plus harddisk cards will need to get special PALs from GVP, and get a special $F00000 kickfile from CATS for use with the mmu soft-kick program (Mmukick). If you need the special $F00000 kickfile, call CATS Administration at 215-431-9180 to have it mailed to you. NOTE - You should always back up your harddisk and work disks before testing any pre-release operating system software. ***** Easy Ways To Test 2.0 The simplest setup for testing 2.0 is ANY MODEL Amiga whose first or only autoconfig expansion card is RAM. Some simple setups include an A2000 or A1000 with a 2-meg RAM expansion. The new KickIt command allows you to "soft-kick" a special 2.0 operating system file so that you can use the 2.0 Workbench disk. The easy no-installation way to boot 2.0 B5 on a simple setup is as follows: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Boot normally with 1.3 and open a shell or CLI 2. Insert the Kickfile disk in df0: and type: df0:Tools/kickit df0:kick.22s.20 (kickit will read the kick.22s.20 file and reboot your machine) 3. When the 2.0 Workbench disk prompt appears, insert the 2.0 Workbench disk. NOTE - If you have an autoboot harddisk, pull the Kickfile disk during the KickIt reboot, and insert the 2.0 Workbench disk to boot the 2.0 Workbench. See the SampleStartup file on the Kickfile disk for instructions on installing 2.0 so that you can easily boot into your choice of 1.3 or 2.0 from your harddisk. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- You don't need an MMU, or coprocessor, or new ROMs, or ECS. You just need a first configured autoconfig RAM device 1 meg or larger. (might work with a 1/2 meg autoconfig card - not tested). In addition to "plain" RAM expansions, the A2620 and A2630 coprocessor carsd may be used because they contain RAM which is configured first. Third party coprocessor+RAM cards should also work. Some harddisk+RAM or coprocessor+harddisk+RAM cards may work, but only if they configure their RAM first (the A590 and A2091 do not, but you could use a 2091 if you have a separate RAM card in the right slot). GVP owners should see the earlier notes about GVP. ***** The following items are all OPTIONAL when testing 2.0: 68020, 68030, MMU, Enhanced Chip Set, multisync monitor, additional hardware If you have a 2620 or 2630, the soft-kicked 2.0 will be in 32-bit RAM (fast!). If you have a harddrive, you can set your system up so that you can boot boot into 1.3 OR 2.0 off your harddrive (see SampleStartup on Kickfile disk). If you have the Enhanced Chip Set you will be able to try the new video modes (most require a multisync monitor). IMPORTANT NOTE: When booting from a hard disk, remember that the initial preferences selections (like colors) will come from the boot disk. You can either boot from the Workbench disk supplied, or copy the devs:system-configuration file from the 2.0 Workbench disk to the devs directory of your boot disk/partition. Whenever you change and save any classic preferences (colors, pointer, printer selection, etc) while using 2.0, copy the devs:system-configuration to your boot disk/partition. ***** Special instructions for PAL machines and Multisync monitors Addmonitor can be used in your startup-sequence to add the PAL A2024, and multisync monitors. Or you can drag the monitor icons into the Workbench startup drawer. (However, you may not be able to boot in the proper mode in that case.) addmonitor NUM=2 NAME=pal.monitor addmonitor NUM=3 NAME=multisync.monitor addmonitor NUM=4 NAME=A2024.monitor The initial setting is for a 640x200 NTSC screen. To try another size, use the WBSCREEN preferences editor (after either adding the ADDMONITOR calls to the Startup-Sequence or by dragging the icons to the WBStartup drawer) ***** How to Un-Zoo the Includes and Autodocs The "Zoo" utility can be found on Fish Disk 164, and on most bulletin boards in their Amiga listings areas. (Note: the following assume the Autodocs-Includes disk in df0:) To view a directory of a zoo's contents: zoo v zooname (example: zoo v df0:romdoc.zoo) To extract a single file into your current directory: zoo x zooname filename (provide filename as listed by zoo v) Examples: zoo x df0:i.zoo intuition/ihooks.i zoo x df0:romdoc.zoo graphics.doc To extract the entire contents of a zoo, with full creation of necessary directories and subdirectories - first do a "zoo v" as shown above so you can see the names of the files and directories that will be created. Be careful to not overwrite (for instance) your existing 1.3 INCLUDE files. One method would be to rename your 1.3 INCLUDE directory INCLUDE1.3. CD to a directory where you want the 2.0 includes to be, and execute the following command to extract the includes: zoo x// df0:h.zoo