@broadblues All my screens are 16bit. I just never got around to changing them since early OS4. That being said, AmiDock does appear to be using compositing on 32bit screens. So you guys are right and I'm way off base trying to explain why XDock transparency doesn't seem to work right.
Amiga X1000 with 2GB memory & OS 4.1FE + Radeon HD 5450
Can I suggest that when the Enhancer installer installs the Kickstart module for SFS, it also updates the user's kicklayout to include it? It took me a while to realise why SFS still wasn't working, and I don't know how many users are familiar with changing the kicklayout file.
I'm not sure I want a script messing with my KickLayout file, as I could end-up with a non-booting system. Two alternatives: 1. Warn the user SFS needs adding to the KickLayout (if it isn't detected there). 2. Ask the user if they want it adding to their KickLayout file, and IF they say yes then make a back-up of the KickLayout before modifying it. That way the user will have some idea why their system stops booting, and also some idea of how to fix it.
I'm not very familiar with compositing but if AmiDock is using it, it's doing it in a differenct way than XDock. If you change the "AmiDock preferences/Placement" item to "Always on top" you can see it's not really transparent by placing a Workbench window behind AmiDock. It looks to me like it's just grabbing a piece of the Workbench backdrop and using it as a background with the icons blended with the AmiDock background.
Nope. AmiDock is DEFINITELY doing real (composited) transparency, because I can slide a window underneath AmiDock & still see it. If you aren;t seeing that, then either (1) you have Compositing turned off (or otherwise unavailable), or (2) something is preventing Compositing from working (not sure what). AmiDock falls-back to the method you describe, when Compositing is not available.
AmiDock is DEFINITELY doing real (composited) transparency
As I explained to Andy, I'm still using 16bit screens and AmiDock only seems to be using compositing on 32bit screens. Apparently the transparency problem is caused by something else.
Amiga X1000 with 2GB memory & OS 4.1FE + Radeon HD 5450
I confess I had never even heard of X-Dock until yesterday, but I put one on my Workbench and tried it out a bit, putting a Filer (which works) in it and adding RAMDock.docky and CPUInfo.docky. Those latter items don't seem to do anything. If I click on them in the dock, I am told "This object is a docky. To activate it, just drag it onto a dock."
So I pored through this thread with special interest, especially when I encountered the following:
Quote:
1) Support the actual dockies, i.e. fancy.docky, time.docky, zzdh's dockies etc. Right now only the icon of the docky is added and shown, but the docky itself is not executed (animated).
Is this the same problem, or am I misunderstanding and simply doing something wrong with the dockies?
Dimwittedly, I waited until after posting the above before trying one of those in AmiDock, where I see it works as expected, but the question is still valid, I believe
You can't use those dockies with X-Dock. They are exclusively programmed for Amidock, so there's nothing wrong with them: X-Dock just has no compatible API to execute dockies from Amidock. Maybe this will change in the future? Would be nice...
You can't use those dockies with X-Dock. They are exclusively programmed for Amidock
Exactly.
Quote:
X-Dock just has no compatible API to execute dockies from Amidock. Maybe this will change in the future?
Don't hold your breath for that. X-Dock has not been designed with a docky-like plugin API in mind, and adding one - let alone making it compatible with AmiDock - would require a major rewrite of the program.
Why introduce a dock system and leave out the only real innovation that the predecessor had?
Why code it with the need of a "major rewrite" to be able to use this innovation instead of adding the possibility as a dummy skeleton from scratch?
Why shut out all the users that use the, also relatively new, animated dockie system?
I dont know how others feel about this, but for me x-dock is dead meat if it wont be able to use the already available dockies soon! Id rather use amidock then
or maybe im smelling a new animated dockies plugin where users have to pay again for stuff thats already available and working...just not with x-dock?
@Raziel I could be wrong but I don't think XDock is being touted as an AmiDock replacement. Unlike AmiDock, you can open XDock on screens other than Workbench. That's a big plus for multiple screen user like me. XDock still needs some fixes and improvements but comments like yours certainly won't incentivize the author to keep working on it.
Amiga X1000 with 2GB memory & OS 4.1FE + Radeon HD 5450
Unlike AmiDock, you can open XDock on screens other than Workbench
There's a trick to move AmiDock to different public screen. Iconify AmiDock, set another screen as the "default public screen" and uniconify the AmiDock and it opens on the "default public screen" whatever that screen is. Many of my utilities/commodities makes the front most public screen the default one automatically following which one is moved to front at any time.
Rock lobster bit me - so I'm here forever X1000 + AmigaOS 4.1 FE "Anyone can build a fast CPU. The trick is to build a fast system." - Seymour Cray
You are right. X-Dock was written according to an original specification that saw it primarily as a toolbar/launcher, rather than a complete AmiDock replacement. But the specification may get extended at some point, though I don't believe it will support the AmiDock docky API (relative lack of documentation, perhaps even copyright reasons).
@Raziel If you need dockies support, then amidock, if you need just a launcher panel , then it can be xdock. You may ask why to use xdock at all, if amidock can be used as laucher too ? So for me it have already few pluses:
1). I can normally drag whole bar by pressing close to any icon. With amidock, if you didn't have dragbar enabled and it transparenty, its quite non-trivial to drag it.
2). I can normally press "RMB" over xdock, to have internal menu for, not as in case with Amidock, which, when didn't have dragbar and fully transapretly, i need to press on some icon to make it all active, then somehow found a place where i can press RMB for amidock's menu, and not for dockie's menu.
3). xdock just feels slick and intuitive. amidock are not.
Sure, i also will be glad if xdock will support dockies, so i can get rid of amidock for top-bar panel where i have all the dockies placed (as to setup it propery in amidock, is pretty pain as well, with bunch of bugs till you make it all allright). Sure that it can have some flaws and bugs still which need to deal with, but even if it didn't , as launcher panel it better already.
Not a biggie, but I have just noticed the Sound Prefs isn't fully localised. On the Sound Settings tab, the field to select the type of sound (Beep or Sampled Sound) is labelled "Type de son".
@broadblues The mouse over, size increase icons is not protected by patent. If anything it is copy-written and that would only include the code involved in this function. As Macs are a different machine then Amiga and use different compilers this feature could be coded as long as no portion of the Mac code was used.
Apple summarizes the Dock as a "user interface for providing consolidation and access." The patent (available here) puts a particular focus on the Dock's ability to magnify icons to a predetermined size,,,
link in article if you want to read the patent itself....
Big companies constantly buy up patents or apply for new ones to prevent someone else from patenting something they use and forcing them to license it at a cost. I think Gateway bought Amiga just to get the patents like some listed at http://patents.justia.com/assignee/commodore-amiga-inc and elsewhere.
Someone has probably already patented the creation of a fist and elevation of the middle finger; which negates any other patents
Amiga X1000 with 2GB memory & OS 4.1FE + Radeon HD 5450
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