»

[Gulliver]

BetterWB release 2.0 - 20.05.2011

BetterWB is a new workbench pack, much like AIAB, Amikit, AmigaSYS, ClassicWB, etc. but applying a totally different aproach. This is a new version which brings many improvements over its ancestor.

It aims to be much like an enhancement, an updated extension to AmigaOS 3.1, without all those hardware requirement penalties tipically associated with these kind of packs. It is indeed a better 3.1 than 3.1 itself!

http://lilliput.amiga-projects.net/BetterWB.htm

This is my pet project, it took me a total of 4 days to assemble. Just voice your opinion, I will be glad to hear your comments, either good or bad.

Thanks

[Zero]

Thanks for this, I have found it very useful!

[TheGoose]

Can you install on top of an older release Gully? Just overwrite stuff.

[Zero]

I hope so that's what I just did and all appears fine...

[Gulliver]

Originally Posted by TheGoose

Can you install on top of an older release Gully? Just overwrite stuff.

Yes you can, and it should work, unless you have somehow modified your startup-sequence since version 1.x.

@Zero
I am glad you are enjoying it

[TheBilgeRat]

Awesome! downloading now.

[TheGoose]

Really need to change it to "Awesomer WB" anyways.

[sledge]

Downloading...

I love the 3.1 look and feel, and this is so welcome!

[Minuous]

My suggestion would be for an OS3.9 version.

Otherwise, you should include http://aminet.net/game/patch/SetJoyPort.lha or similar, to work around known bugs in that version of lowlevel.library.

[Gulliver]

Originally Posted by Minuous

My suggestion would be for an OS3.9 version.

Otherwise, you should include http://aminet.net/game/patch/SetJoyPort.lha or similar, to work around known bugs in that version of lowlevel.library.

Hi James, it is a indeed a good suggestion. Thanks.

I was also thinking on a kind of BetterWB for 3.9 that could include all BoingBags + some BetterWB goodies + some other neat stuff, distributed in an .adf floppy image manner. Just imagine installing 3.9 and then using this set of floppies to automatically have everything updated with some neat added goodies without any user intervention.

Whenever I get a bit more time, I will play with this concept.

[amigadave]

Should the unofficial Boing Bags 3 & 4 be used with this, or are they already included within this betterWB release?

Edit: AFAIR, Boing Bag 3, I installed over AmigaOS3.9, so I guess this is something different just for OS3.1.

[Gulliver]

Originally Posted by amigadave

Should the unofficial Boing Bags 3 & 4 be used with this, or are they already included within this betterWB release?

Edit: AFAIR, Boing Bag 3, I installed over AmigaOS3.9, so I guess this is something different just for OS3.1.

This is something different, only for 3.1.

I will start working on something related for 3.9 in the future.

[Rodomoc]

In reading the 'lilliput' archives we find os3.9 boing bags; links to official -unofficial versions that go beyond original 2, how to make workbench 3.1 equivelant to 3.9, and also BetterWB. An excellent overall website, hands down.

My question...Other than the various higher end upgrades listed in making 3.1 equivelant to 3.9, how does BetterWB play into this? In looking at the BetterWB specifications, it seems that not much fundamental stuff is left out. I am all for a non-3.5/3.9 solution to fundamental upgrades.

[Gulliver]

@Rodomoc

I am happy you find the website usefull

About your questions:
BetterWB is not related to the other content of the website. It is just my personal view on how to improve AmigaOS 3.1

And the reason for going this specific route was to empower unexpanded Amigas to be able to run something better than a bare AmigaOS 3.1 which is really old (18 years!), as this was the only available option until now for for lets say for example, an A500/A1000 with a harddrive and 3.1 kickstart with only 512KB of chipmem.

If you have a higher end system, you will probably have much more hardware resource power to spend on other distributions or even higher versions of AmigaOS that will probably give you some added functionality and eye candy. It is up to you to choose then to try BetterWB, if you have a better system.

This BetterWB distribution/add-on pack, is meant for all Amigas, in order to provide them with something better than a bare 3.1 whilst keeping the bloat to a minimum so that any Amiga has the potential to run it as long as they have kickstart 3.1 and some form of harddrive (Yes, 512KB of chipram will be just enough for it to run).

Then, the final goal is to provide a much better experience than 3.1 by incorporating bugfixes, updates and enhancements, somehow following what I feel should have been the path that Commodore should have chosen if they were alive just a little bit longer.

[Rodomoc]

Gulliver, I do not have a real powerful Amiga; A3000-A3640 accelerator-2mb/16mb-GVP video card-XSURF ethernet card w/ clockports-Subway usb. I have run a full tilt 3.9 installation in the past. I am saying screw doing this anymore. A simple updated Commodore 3.1 is good enough for me at this point. Years ago I had a hopped up 3.1 based on the this old workbench series. The machine ran excellent. It is time to return to this sort of sanity.