AmiDVD patching

@All
There is no actual work being done, but this topic is for collecting all information which will help us to deal with.

The issue is that Joerg adds to the AmiDVD some kind of check which prevents AmiDVD from being running on modern kernels. At least on 53.89, it runs for sure. But then since new kernels, Joerg add some kind of check (dunno what one), which just prevents AmiDVD to runs on.

Of course, pure changing of version strings in the kernel does not help, there is some more "deeper" check somewhere in the body of AmiDVD.

So time to disarm the binary and made a patch to bypass it.

At first, what we find interesting is that the AmiDVD binary is an unusual one, see the elf header:



While usuall elf header of executable files looks like this:




See, the Entry point address is 0 and Type are Relocatable. I.e. no programm headers. Not sure what kind of executable is it and how it supposed to runs.

At least i can see that from the shell it didn't runs, but only from the Icon.

Next step is to try to disasm it by IDA + PowerPC decompiler inbuild in latest versions.

I've looked at AmiDVD also, and yes, there is no version string that can be read in the pure binary, but C:Version finds one, so you have to LoadSeg() the binary before it becomes legible.

Perhaps we should LoadSeg() the binary into a buffer, and then try looking at the buffer content.

Has anyone asked Joerg if he is prepared to update the program?

@tonyw

Quote:
I haven't, but my best guess is that he introduced the kernel version check in order to impose a time limit on A-EON's licence to the program. If this is the case, he might ask for more money to extend the licence, rather than remove the check for a greater good.

@trixie

Then again, times and moods change.

I don't know if he is still active in the amiga market, let alone develop.
So, it might be a good idea to ask him anyway.

We could try to secure the source (amybe even buy it off him?), ask for a github (or whatever) release into PD, ask for an update or for him to remove the limitation, at least.

I don't have any working contact data though

@Raziel

Quote:
Fair enough. Might be worth trying.

@All
All I want is to patch AmiDVD so all the users can use it, without needing to wait for anything, or wrote to anyone any emails, or be in hope for anything again. And, it's AEON's problem to get hold of Joerg. If they don't do it now, they can't do it then.

So let's concentrate on actual patching.

Besides, there is technical interest as well from my side, to find out how it all was done and how to patch it.

Neither A-EON nor anyone else has an exclusive licence for AmiDVD.

Like most of my software it does include checks to prevent working it on some kernels, similar to PartitionWizard for example.

It's nothing against A-EON but Hyperion who didn't pay me for most of my AmigaOS 4.x work and even included some, or maybe even all, of my AmigaOS 4.x software without valid licence and despite explicit prohibition continue using it on AmigaOS 4.1+ CDs.

PartitionWizard versions illegally distributed by Hyperion (for example on AmigaOS 4.1 CDs) shouldn't work any more, but the versions licensed to A-EON (for the "Enhancer Software" package) still should work. If not I'll fix it.

I could release an updated version of AmiDVD (even for free, AmiDVD always was free of charge) in a similar way as the A-EON versions of PartionWizard, but only only with the following requirements:
- I wont update any of my AmigaOS software if someone releases patches bypassing my copy protection checks.
- I must not work on any AmigaOS 4.x version released by Hyperion, at least not if the A-EON "Enhancer Software" isn't installed as well. I'll need some help for that since I haven't done any AmigaOS development since several years.

Usually I don't check AmigaOS forums any more, please send answers by email, it's still the same E-Mail address as in the version strings of most of my AmigaOS software.

@joerg
Quote:

If you can update AmiDVD, then surely I am out to make any patches and we all will be more than glad if you can update it yourself of course.


BTW, as far as i know, Hyperion is no more distributed PartitionWizard, that was an AEON call to them, so they delete it from distribution for sure, and it has only been available from AEON for some time (a few years for sure).

Quote:

I can help with all the shit, no problems

I would be great to get a working AmiDVD again.

@joerg

Thanks for your replies.

I would greatly appreciate an update to AmiDVD and PartitionWizard.

I used AmiDVD for many years to burn backups to CD-R discs.

Just for clarification, should I use the following from the A-EON Enhancer package:
- smartfilesystem
- diskcache.library.kmod

---

Your software which you listed above is on my AmigsOS 4.1 Final Edition CD for AmigaOne XE/SE and MicroA1.

newlib.library was also released with FE Update 2 and a hot fix for Update 2.

Some of these software items were also released with the A-EON Enhancer Software package. I was reluctant to overwrite these items because I was not sure if they were "official" updates or simply replacements created by A-EON.

I'm not a beta tester or developer, just an enthusiastic owner of an ancient OS4 system, who tries to keep up to date.

Thanks,
redfox

@joerg

"newlib.library"

Well I hope it will be open sourced, now Clib is lot more advanced this days, but it makes all programs BIG.

@redfox

Quote:

The truth is. These elements that were 100% done by Joerg as SFS or Partition Wizard many years ago were removed from the Amigaos 4 distribution.

Other elements like Newlib or Diskboot.Komod This is a discussion case or 100% are Joerg. As Betatester, I can watch Release Notes files. Maybe the first version of Newlib was from Joerg (unfortunately no written authors). Since the authors of the changes are described, Joerg appears only once at version 53.17 from 28/04/2011, then the changes also introduced SSOLIE (mentioned in Release Notes 9 times) and, for example, FWIKSTORM introduced as many as 54 changes. Just the same Diskboot.kmod, I do not deny that Joerg once worked (but never once signed in Release Notes), while among at least three other nicknames, who introduced a lot of changes and improvements.

@joerg

Welcome back
I do hope you'll stay and don't hold a grudge against the people loving and using your software and maybe stay a little while longer?

@mufa

Truth is a word often used as misconception while dealing with retold history.

Just because a program has been "updated" by someone else doesn't mean it was written by them (even if the changes exceed 50% of the original code).

If you take the idea of a program from someone else and write it from scratch by your own means, then it's yours (apart from the underlying idea).

But if you take the whole program and simply change or add anything, it doesn't mean one bit that the original author lost his IP.

Just because i add myself as main developer to ScummVM doesn't mean i can walk around telling people it's mine (and disregard all the people before me that contributed) let alone sell it.

I don't know what exactly happened in this case, so i won't go that road, but disregarding @joerg for his involvement is plain wrong (and imho by selling his software and locking him out from the revenues is just plain evil)

@Raziel

I also do not know the details, so I decide anything, I speak only what I see in Release Notes files. Unfortunately, in this programs, Joerg is not written in the INITIAL RELEASE version.

However, if it is actually a proprietary from the beginning developed and implemented, only by Joerg and had a Hypierion agreement that they are his property and without his consent can not be further developed or selling. This, of course, Hyperion should pay him or develop his own replacements.

Raziel wrote:Quote:

+1 I’m sure many of us users would be happy to pay you directly for a working copy of AmiDVD

@328gts

Lets do a small calculation 25 users * 10 euro = 250 Euro
If he is lucky get 50% tax penalty, for black market income.
Can’t have too many donations before it becomes a problem.

@all

Can`t we pay Joerg a onetime fee, to get the source so it can be enhanced updated compiled and become available on os4depot for Free. Joerg has to name his price, and we can try to get it sorted out...

Quote:

The last time I checked, AmiDVD and PartitionWizard are part of "Enhancer" package. Now, under what kind of agreement, I do not know, but it looks like they own it or they have the approval from the author to include them in a commercial product.

Don't get me wrong, I would be more than happy to pay and see those apps work again. But since they are in a commercial package we bought, it seems that we already paid for it or at least is A-Eon's responsibility to have it working. If not, then I really don't get why those apps are part of "Enhancer" and not freely available. And I guess the same goes for SFS, which is also included but never updated or maintained.


Quote:

From joerg's comment above, I understand that although we complained so many times in the past about these applications, contacting A-Eon in different ways, it seems they didn't even bother to contact joerg and ask for an updated version. I really wonder why.

@redfox
Quote:Sorry, it's been a very long time since I did anything AmigaOS related and don't remember all details any more.

A-EON has the permission to include SFS, diskcache.library, AmiDVD, diskboot.kmod, and probably some more of my software, in the "Enhancer Software", but IIRC I didn't build special version of those for it and only PartitionWizard was different: Special "Enhancer Software" version exclusively licensed to A-EON.

@mufa
Quote:I did the initial AmigaOS 3.x/m68k (only static link library) and AmigaOS 4.x/PPC ports of newlib and updated newlib.library several times to newer newlib releases. Since the source code is, or was, on the OS4 CVS/SVN server some other OS4 developers, especially ssolie, contributed to it as well, but I guess 97-99% of the changes were done by me.
Don't know who, or if anyone at all, did work on it after I left the OS4 team though.
IIRC newlib.library is the only AmigaOS 4.x software for which I got the complete payment from Hyperion and which they still can use legally.

diskboot.kmod was implemented by me, IIRC no other OS4 developer contributed to it and Hyperion only had the permission to use the binaries for AmigaOS 4.0, not the source code.

Quote:In the OS4 release notes developer names were usually only added if something wasn't implemented or fixed by the main developer of the component.
For example you probably wont find Olaf's name in the FFS2 release notes, but my name might be there (only very minor changes). That doesn't indicate I have any rights to it, it's 100% his software and 99,99% of the code was developed by him.