Amiga Computing - Commodore Is Awesome

74
MOOTHER FONTS
Your Workbench uses what are known as bitmap fonts which are fonts made
up of pixels. The problem with bitmap fonts is that when scaled in size they
tend to look chunky and blocky (called jaggies). Intellifont, located in the
System drawer, allows you to install special outline fonts.
Outline fonts are better than bitmap fonts because they are drawn using
mathematical equations, so when they are scaled they maintain their smooth
quaky. You can install new outline fonts using IntelliFont and even create
new bitmap fonts out of outline fonts. All your current outline fonts are
indicated with a • symbol.
IV! Intel' i tante
Outline Font Source
Source typefaces
In Workbe nch is no longe r re stricte d to
biltroap fonts. Outline fonts provide be a utiful
fonts with no loss of qua lity
AINBOW
AMIGA
Changing the colours on Workbench can
prove to be a great deal of fun but you can
do more than change the icons and backdrop
colours - you can also change the
colour of all the window and information
elements.
The first thing to do is load up the
Palette program located in the Preis drawer.
The elements are presented in a
scrolling gadget with the default colour in
a box to the left.
If, for example, you select the element
labelled Active Window Titlebars, which is
originally blue, and then choose black
you'll find that your windows change to
this colour when you hit the Save button.
however, before you commit yourself to
any changes you can click the Show
Sample_ button and you will be presented
with a default window and associated
gadgets in the colour scheme you have
specified.
Even though Workbench is capable of
running in 256 colour mode, you can only
edit the first eight colours. This also
applies to the elements - they too can
only be of a colour in the first eight.
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NAM - Read -Access-Memory.
RAM rs memory provided by the
computer for you to USC as you
wish. RAM is extremely fast but
its contents a re lo st when th e
Amiga is turned off.
MI - MegaByte. A Megaftyte
an indication of RAM size 1Mb is
equal to 1014 K (see below).
- Kiiobyte. A Kilobyte is equal
to 1024 bytes (see below).
Byte - a byte is equal to 8-bits
(see below).
Ill - a be is the smallest value a
computer ca n store. S p e rceived
by computers users as
either I (on) or 0 (off).
Merl - these are areas o f RAM
pur aside specifically for use b y
other ta g s
IMihkeMA - this is the process
the Amiga uses to understand
and interpret hard disks and floppy
disks All disks ore validated
(or checked) first before being
used
Cif - Command Line Interlace.
Use window to the Amigo's Disk
Operating System or DOS (see
below).
DOS - Disk Operating System.
This allows you to communicate
with your Amiga. M a re desktops
such as Workbench became
available users could only communicate
with their computers
via DOS.
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AMIGA COMPUTING
MAY 19 9 6
ITS AND PIECES
Hard drives suffer from a problem known as
fragmentation. When data is copied to your
hard drive or data moved around, the files
tend to get spread right out across the hard
drive. The result of this is that files on your
hard drive take longer to load and Workbench
windows take longer to draw.
Using a program such as Quarterback
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i) This is a fra gme nte d ha rd drive - the gre y a re a s should be a solid block.
Quarterback Tools shows how the da ta on this ha rd drive I s split up conside ra bly
HE RIGHT SETUP
If you own a hard drive it will have been more than likely formatted and Workbench installed at
the retail end. Although this means you can use your Workbench immediately, you may find
the actual setup lacking that personal touch.
I previously mentioned the usefulness of a Data partition for backing up purposes.
Unfortunately, most setups don't take this into consideration which means you have to alter it
Workbench comes complete with HDToolBox in the Tools directory which allows you to
partition (cut up) and format your drive.
When you load HDToolBox you are presented with the main window and a set of options. If
you click on the button labelled Partition Drive you will see a volume indicator with a small
blue arrow. By pulling this anow you can reduce and increase the size in Mbs of the hard drive.
By clicking on the New Partition button and then clicking in the spare volume area you can add
a new partition, and this, too, will have a blue arrow you can move up and down just as before.
In the Partition Drive Name box you can name each partition - one will, more than likefy, be
called Workbench. You must turn the Bootable button ticked which tells your hard drive to
automatically try and boot up using this partition.
To make the changes permanent you can then click on the Okay button and select Save
Changes to Drive at the main HDToolBox window. To finish off the procedure you should then
boot with your floppy disk Workbench and format each partition with the original names you
chose in HDToolBox. All that's left then is to install Workbench to the new Workbench partition.
Easy, huh?
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[:::: = Unused M a = 1 partition i
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41
Advanced Opt tons
Partition Device N.
Workbench
Bootable
CI Although pa rtitioning a nd forma tting your ha rd drive se e rnA
nerve wre cking, N OToolitiox ma ke s it a groa t de a l e a sie r
001
Tools, you can de-fragment your hard drive
This process involves taking all the progra
ms oft and then replacing them so they are n
ot split up or spread out. Although the process
can take a fair amount of time, the speed
increase in access time is greatly enhanced.
You should look to de-fragment your hard
drive once every six months.
Delete Partition! Neu Partittoni Default fetii Netto
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0-Used G-Unused
Fast File System
- - Ok
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