Tutorial_General_E - Aros the OpenSource OS running on UAE and real hardware

Tutorial General

What is Aros 68k?

official documentation here:

https://aros.sourceforge.io/

AROS is basically a open source cross-platform implementation of Amiga OS 3.1 API with its own desktop (Wanderer). Normally 68k software cannot be directly executed because there is no JIT compiler that can translate 68k code like in MorphOS or AmigaOS. Instead all software has to be compiled for every platform. The only exception of this is Aros 68k. It is compatible so Amiga software can be executed and both Aros and Amiga components can be mixed. I use this heavily in my distribution. AROS is far more than 3.1. It includes many components by default that are 3rd party components on 3.1. This includes AHI and MUI-implementation called Zune, but also Network Stack, RTG and USB-Stack.

My distribution

The idea is to create the look & feel of amiga replacing the system components from original distribution and adding lots of functionality including many viewer/player, whdload, xad, libraries, development tools and software like ftp client or pdf viewer. I also replace the limited wanderer desktop with magellan and configure it to create a comfortable environment that makes most of what is available on the amiga world. Almost any amiga format is supported.

Magellan

I use Magellan as desktop replacement. This makes it possible for me to define a environment that was impossible on aros before and makes using my distribution very comfortable. Screenshot shows Magellan prefs where you f.e. define the background.

Aros Preferences

First you should (depending on location) change keyboard and Time Zone. In Aros Vision time is fetched from SNTP Server at startup. On UAE propably no further changes are needed.

context-menu

Basic concept are filetypes. This is defined by endings like .png or .pdf and define what menu options you get by right-click on file or directory. If you right-click you get a sticky context-menu. In many cases the right player or viewer for the file is defined and starts by double-click. But you can activate most players viewers in context-menu too.

this is example of iff-bild in multiview

shell

here the official description: https://aros.sourceforge.io/documentation/users/shell/introduction.php

additionally I add many commands and a number of handler like clip:

because this is a extensive topic it will be covered by its own tutorial in future

tools

I have added a number of tools and patches in the "tools menu". Examples are Reset of WB, start Shell, start Rexxmast, start Executive, start Trashcan, Reboot, Dismount ADF, start CD-Player (Music CD), FTP, Backup/Restore, ScummVM and more

Extras

in directory "Extras" I have integrated most of the added software. This includes a number of tools including former commercial software, games, demos, development tools.

mounten of adf

ADF can be mounted by right-click on adf-file and select it and dismounted in the tools menu

Download from aminet

most easy way is by ftp. Start the client in tools menu. Then connect and navigate to the file. Select target directory and download. Then go in the target directory and double-click on archive and unpack files

Development tools

Integrated are many amiga compilers including C, Basic, Pascal, Modula II and Amiga E. Also there many new libraries added and also aros libraries replacing system libraries. Scripting can be done with Rexx, Lua, Python. Because this is a big topic there will be another tutorial only covering this.