#AutoPilot
75 messages in this thread
Betty,
How long have you been using AutoPilot? Once set up, is it easier to use
than Whap? I have no trouble with Whap, and will have to be convinced to
give it up! The only thing I don't like about it is that if I just want to
grab message headers, I have to go into each section individually and hit
"QS", and let it go. And since I don't do this often, I have to go back and
switch it to "None" later. A global setting would have been nice. That and
the View slider messing up a message or two are the only quibbles I've had
with Whap in a long time.
Oooh, but the ability to do other AutoPilot functions while performing
others in neat!
Karl
– via Whap!
Karl:
AutoPilot has a very rich set of AREXX commands which will allow you to
write custom scripts to gloablly change its settings… for instance, you
could have one script that sends AP online to collect all messages in
selected forums, and another that sends AP online to just collect
headers.
Already, in Beta stage, I am using one script that logs on and gets my
latest CIS billing information, another script that logs on and downloads
a weather map, and yet another that allows 'scheduling' of AP to do
certain things on certain days!
// Michael
\X/ …on AutoPilot
Michael,
Sounds like something I'd like to have, if it's not too expensive.
And may I say, I like your Amiga checkmark signature, but the second
line needs another space in it to match up the two checkmark halves.
Looking forward to AutoPilot,
Karl
– via Whap!
Karl:
I like the Amiga checmark too. I just stole it from someone else. <g>
I'll have to check the formatting… it appears to be ok on the messages I
have collected. Thanks for letting me know.
(checking to see if my fly is open <*blush*>)
// Michael
\X/ …on AutoPilot
Michael,
One thing I've never cared for about WHAP! or any other front-end like
it is that simply by using it, don't we miss a lot of current info that CIS
offers? Basically, you have to know where you want to go before you use
WHAP! so therefore, browsing is out of the question.
Of course you could log on with another term program but doesn't that in
effect defeat the purpose in some ways? Also, doesn't it screw up your
settings if you log on with another program?
I hope that Steve takes a look at AutoPilot from a new(casual) users
point of view also, as there are many more of those than there are
power-users. Don't you think? It would probably save him from answering a
lot of questions down the line.
>>>>>Skip (SKP Graphics) <<<<<
Among other features, AP will let you have as many forums as you want,
which makes it much easier to browze the system. Also, AP will change
only two of your settings: It has to be notifed only if you have mail,
and it has to have the CIS main screen as your first service. Everything
else remains as you had it before. This is a change from the way Whap!
works, and should solve lots of problems.
Betty,
I am getting more excited the more I read about AutoPilot, but I have a
question that I believe has not already been asked. Does AutoPilot have any
provisions for managing your library data files, i.e. merging sessions &
deleting duplicate entries, sorting on various keys, and key searches. This
is something that has always been promissed for Whap!, but has never
materialized.
-Paul-
Paul,
In the past couple of weeks I've made it a point to keep my mouth shut
about AutoPilot until I finally get around to letting it loose. (Others
can, and have been, talking about it, so many questions have been
answered, but just let me say that whatever any tester says about it,
until it's actually released, things can change (not likely at this late
date, however)).
A while back I posted a "first cut" feature list (that I've not gotten
around to updating since). It included the following as related to
library file management …
* A forum library catalog database is maintained, as complete as you
wish. Catalogs can be updated without the need to rescan the entire
library. Catalogs can be sorted by upload date, file size, and
library number. Catalogs contain no duplicate entries and you can
delete entries from your catalog. Further search criteria may be
delimited by keyword, filename, and uploader's user id.
-sja
Steve:
Where do I send the check and when? I've used Whap! all these years and
this sounds even better. I want it and I want it now! <g>
"…Give him an extra dollar."
" An extra dollar? Yes sir."
-"Young Frankenstein"
regards, greg
Greg:
Like Whap!, you can't buy AP until you download the demo version and get
it working properly on your system. And since the demo has not yet been
released… <g>
// Michael
\X/ …on AutoPilot
Steve,
GREAT! Now I am really excited! Are you taking advanced upgrade orders?
-Paul-
Paul,
The answer to most of your questions is 'YES' but I cannot tell you
specifically on all of them at the moment. I'm just getting started on
the docs for the registered version, and I've not worked on that part of
it very much yet. I do know that it will eliminate duplicate entries in
the catalogs, and that the entried can be sorted more than one way.
Thanks Betty, Now I am really excited!
-Paul-
Betty,
I can't wait! Other than WorkBench itself, the 2 programs I use the most
are WHAP! and JRComm.
Has anything been set up yet with regard to payment for AutoPilot? I was
wondering if we could pay in advance to kinda avoid `putting up with' the
crippled version for a month. I have faith in Steve's work so I wouldn't
mind.
It's be nice if he had a merchants account also, so we could pay with
these little plastic wafers we all carry around<g>.
>>>>>Skip (SKP Graphics) <<<<<
Skip:
One of the ways that ATI (and now AForums, for AP) control costs and
ensures customer satisfaction, and avoids return requests and complaints
is by insisting that a user get the program demo up and running properly
on their system prior to sending any money.
// Michael
\X/ …on AutoPilot
Michael,
Oh, I'm sure thats true for the new user but I'm positive I'll be
satisfied with AutoPilot. For $20.00 you can't hardly go wrong, considering
the terrific job they did with WHAP!.
>>>>>Skip (SKP Graphics) <<<<<
Skip,
I really think that the biggest holdup on AP is that I have not yet
written the docs for the registered version. I've had lots of other
things to do this summer and it has made it hard to find time to write.
However – the more eager you get to get this program, the more pressure it
puts on me to get them written. I can take a bit of pressure, but not too
much! So – if Steve let you pre-pay, think of what it would do to me! <g>
And in case you wonder – I AM working on it, between interruptions from
family and other responsibilities. Not too much longer.
Betty,
Well, then. I shall leave you alone to get back to your work<g>.
>>>>>Skip (SKP Graphics) <<<<<
We gotta have Autopilot Betty. Soon, very very soon. 🙂
Pete from West Dorset in Englands West Country – via Whap!
Well, all I can say, Pete, is that I have worked on the docs for about 8
hours today, and I am a long, long way from finishing. But I'm a workin'
on it!
Skip:
Yes, using the automated front ends tends to box in the user, but it is
strictly by choice. Both Whap! and AP allow an interactive mode that will
keep you online after they have done there magic. With Whap! you have your
choice of using any of a number of different terminal programs as your
'interactive' terminal; AP has it's own integrated terminal software called
'HANDS-ON' that can be controlled by AREXX.
Michael
Skip,
I think you are looking at this in a very narrow light. CI$ has, by far,
more "power users" than "new (casual) users" and it should be the goal of
every new user to become a power user. Whap! and, I'm sure AutoPilot, are
written to facilitate the use of CI$ by people who have established
patterns of usage and need to save money on that usage. My bill was
$300.00+ @ month 'till Whap! came along and now it is down under $75.00 @
month, figger it out. Money is the bottom line here.
Questions are the best way to learn computers. If we all stayed where we
are then no one could answer the questions. Hang in there, buddy, it's
gonna be ok.
…Dave
Dave,
I wouldn't say it's narrow, exactly<g>. Just witness all the questions
Steve gets regarding WHAP!. Many are from new users. `Power Users' tend to
be able to figure it out for themselves.
And I do disagree that CIS has more `power users' than casual although
maybe our definition of power user isn't quite the same. I'm not tlking
about the type of power user that uses CIS for research or business. Most
of them probably don't use WHAP! anyway since most of them probably don't
use Amigas.
The power users I mean are those that are more into the act of using and
setting up their computers as opposed to being more interested in just
calling CIS to see whats new, have a chat(or arguement/discussion) or
download some files with all the technical stuff being transparent to a
degree.
>>>>>Skip (SKP Graphics) <<<<<
Skip,
IMHO Steve gets lots of questions about Whap! because lots of new users
don't read the docs. Whap! is a complex program because it needs to be,
but a careful reading of the very good documentation will get a new user
going. Let's face it, when the author of a program is as accessable as
Steve is, the temptation to ask first and read later is frequently
overwhelming and poor old Steve has to answer the same questions over and
over again. We've all done it.
My definition of a power user is sort of similar to your's. I'd be willing
to bet you that the vast majority of users are like myself. Been on CI$
for at least 6 years, regularly monitor and participate in between 3 to 15
forums on a daily basis and use some kind of Whap!-like program to save
money on there addiction. You do know that most major computers have
Whap!-like equivilants, don't you? IBM is TAPCIS and Mac is Navigator and
then there is that kludge that CI$ itself puts out called CIM.
Questions are a major way that we learn about computers and the only dumb
question is one that remains unasked.
…Dave
Dave,
Yes. I've been guilty of asking first and reading later. Although I
did read the WHAP! docs twice, many times certain things just don't sink
in<g>.
I also know of the other platforms front ends but have never seen any in
action.
>>>>>Skip (SKP Graphics) <<<<<
Skip:
I think I had the Whap.docs committed to memory and much of it still
didn't make sense to me! It took a lot of trial and error for me to get
whap! up & running properly <*sigh*>… nothing like a piece of software
to teach you some humility.
// Michael
\X/ …on AutoPilot
Michael,
Really? Now I don't feel so bad<g>.
>>>>>Skip (SKP Graphics) <<<<<
Well, I for many, can't wait to see AutoPilot. The ability to read
messages whilst the thing is still picking up other ones is something I've
wanted for years. I'm sure we'll both be using it very soon.
…Dave
I anxiously await it's arrival but untill then, WHAP! is doing very
well.
>>>>>Skip (SKP Graphics) <<<<<
Dave,
I'm curious. I seem to remember you said you worked for NBC? What city? I
was at 30 Rock and the Brooklyn studio on and off for 12 years.
Gracia
– via Coolwhap
I worked in Burbank for 25 years until GE scuttled the operation there. I
was a switching central associate director.
…Dave
Ah, Glamorus Hollywood! I guess we never passed in the halls, I toiled in
exciting NY in a very unexciting end of TV. Would you beleive wardrobe?
Like the plebs at Annapolis we were considerd lower then whale dust! But I
was very large with the engineers in Brooklyn since I come from a
scientific father and was interested in all that stuff. As an ex dancer,
wardrobe gave me time and money to play with Ami.
I did a lovely new "logo" for NBC that I almost showed to the brass when we
were negotiating our contract. Used shaded files and made a peacock with a
tail of light bulbs and an eye as a $. I think I made few when there was a
NABET strike. Went over big.
Gracia
– via Coolwhap
Skip –
> I've been guilty of asking first and reading later. Although I did read
> the WHAP! docs twice, many times certain things just don't sink in.
Here I am, sitting at a smoothly multitasking computer, replying to
messages using WHAP!. I wonder about some aspect of it — say, searching in
View — so I flip screens, bring up TurboText, load the Whap!.doc (which
happens to be PowerPacked, but I also have PowerPatcher loaded), search for
"Search", answer my question, and return to my reading and replying almost
without interruption.
Couldn't be easier!
. . . . . JimDoc
Jim,
You make it sound so easy<g>. And I'm sure once you DO it once or twice,
it is. It's just learning first that you CAN do that sort of thing and then
learning HOW to do it. And of course, remembering it all<g>.
I'll save your message for later:-).
>>>>>Skip (SKP Graphics) <<<<<
Skip:
I think that ANY automated CIS software tends to keep you from 'wandering
around' CIS. But you always have the option of 'staying online' or using
the interactive mode for live online sessions and general browsing and
shopping.
It is my opinion that the success of Whap! has actually led to a decline
in live participation in events such as formal conferences. I've made some
suggestions to the sysops here for ways that maybe we can supplement the
formal CO's with a sort of OFF LINE CONFERENCE… a structured message
thread. It needs to be fleshed out, but I think I'm going to try it and
see how it works. Do you have any suggestions on how to get more people
out from behind the 'lurking curtain' and more actively involved in the
forum?
// Michael
\X/ …on AutoPilot
Michael,
I obviously tend to agree with you. I use WHAP! ALL the time. It's my
fault that I havn't tried using the interactive feature more often but
WHAP! kinda does that to you. It's just sooooo easy to click a few gadgets
and sit back and watch.
I often thought of trying Alladin on Genie but I browse around there
once in awhile and was afraid of the same thing happening there as happened
here. On CIS, I really don't ever see whats new unless I read it in their
magazine. I'd also probably get in on some online discussions if I had more
direct access to them with WHAP!. I know it's being lazy<g>. I offer no
defense<g>…..
>>>>>Skip (SKP Graphics) <<<<<
Michael.
I think it's fear that keeps people from joining in. Most people hate to
make "fools" of themselves and when you put something in writing for all to
see, it's scary. And if you have nothing to offer except question you may
feel you are not doing your share. I know I felt that way, but I'm a
performer and have that problem all the time and know the only way to cure
it is to plunge in. And as you commented to me, questions start the juices
going and everyone learns something. So I guess I'll keep asking "dumb'
question <:^}>.
Desperate in the boonies,
Gracia
– via Coolwhap
Gracia-
Good comments! What types of activities in the forum do you think would
get more lurkers to participate in both hte message base nad/or
conferences?
// Michael
\X/ …on AutoPilot
Michael,
It's hard to catch lurkers. At first the fora seem a like an "old boys"
club (I've only logged about 4 women so far beside Betty. Boardwatch Mag
said the ratio was 15% to 85% in their "Most Popular BBS" contest. And less
then 1% for none Mac or DS-DOS machines!!) If you stay around long enough
you realize it's a bunch of very nice Amiga nuts who trip over themselves
to help.
Maybe a direct appeal every week or so, like a special "LURKERS
MESSAGE…today ask that question you always wanted an answer to but were
afraid to ask!" or LURKERS..what subjects do you want to start a thread?".
Make them feel more at home. Ya, I can hear you guys saying "just like a
woman". Well I am a woman and we do think in interpersonal terms more then
men. But it works.
Or start a an interesting subject thread to see what fish you can catch.
The subject may be old hat to some, but might go off into more interesting
subjects, IF IT DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE A PRIVATE CHAT, as some times happens.
Lurkers may not KNOW they can butte in and join any thread without
offending. Even I sometimes feel like I'm butting in, and I'm a big lould
mouth <:^}>.
ALSO HAVING WHAP! AND NOW AP MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE! I really got into it
after I got Whap! Letting lurkers know more often that there is such a
program will help. That's how I found it. I know you artfully sneak it in
when you can <g>
I haven't been to a conference because I can't stay on line long enough. I
have yet to solve that problem. Static? But in a modern NY apt as well as
the boonies of NC? I'm going to try the conference on the 18th. Maybe the
moden gods will let it work (or it won't rain.)
Gracia
– via Coolwhap
I know I wish you'd jump right in! I haven't forgotten the bits and
snippets of your background that I've picked up since you first appeared
here, and a letter you wrote to the editor of a video magazine. Please,
feel free to jump right in! I bet you've got a lot to say about video,
production values, etc. – a sense of perspective and history would be a big
help when the rest of us are shooting our mouths off. 🙂
Gracia-
I agree with all of your comments and suggestions, but one line in your
message strikes a particularly funny image in my mind:
"…it's a bunch of very nice Amiga nuts who trip over themselves to
help."
hehe… I keep seeing Kestone Kops running around waving AmigaDos
manuals in the air. <g>
// Michael
\X/ …on AutoPilot
Michael,
I love your mental picture!!! But of course you are the worse offender
<;^}>. When I first started lurking it seemed as if I was running into you
in all forums and all section and you were always helping someone. I had an
image of you spending all night on CI$ collecting plaintive cries for help.
I don't know how you have time for business!
Gracia
– via Coolwhap _O_
But Gracia… my image was fantasy… yours, reality. <g>
// Michael
\X/ …on AutoPilot
Gee, Garcia, I bet you'd find it interesting to reflect that of the four
services, CIS, BIX, GEnie, and Portal, 50% of the top Amiga folks are
women. {o.o}
Gracia,
These forums need NOTHING more than good questions. We have many people
here who are knowledgeable in almost anything connected with the Amiga –
and far more besides. If they see a good question, they will take the
time to answer and discuss it. Otherwise, it probably never occurs to
them that everyone here doesn't know all about it. With enough good
questions, we could have a dozen excellent threads going here all the
time.
Skip:
I use CIS with both Whap! (for the Amiga forums) and Term (for basic
services). When I log-on with Term, I enter *ANSI right after my user ID
(no spaces). This forces CIS to give you a normal 80×24 ANSI terminal for
that session. Since I use an interlaced screen, I also enter SET LINES 50
at the first ! prompt. As far as I can tell, this won't bother Whap! as
long as you don't make these _session_ settings permanent.
Wayne
Wayne,
I'll have to try that. I had some very strange things happen to my
`settings' with out me touching them. Gets me all screwed up<g>. I just
like to browse around every once in awhile.
>>>>>Skip (SKP Graphics) <<<<<
Michael, do you know if there's an ability for AP to view a weathermap
or other GIF display online with the option to save it to disk? That seems
to be the "going thing" on CIS these days, with some of the vendor areas
having graphics displays of their products for real-time viewing.
=Tom=
Tom:
No. AP is designed to get you online and offline as fast as possible to
save you MONEY! Ap can, however, (via an arexx script) log on and
automatically download a weathermap to your disk drive (or ram).
// Michael
\X/ …on AutoPilot
Tom,
Computers that cannot multitask need that ability to view online. But you
can download the graphic and unpack it on the Amiga at about the same
speed as you can view it on one of those programs. That is what both
Whap! and AP are designed to do. (Gee, I'm glad to get a program that has
no ! on the end.) Just download and unpack while the next download is
coming.
If you have the memory/disk space, it ALWAYS makes more sense to D/L the
weathermap or GIF than to view it. Simply because it takes as long for CIS
to send to the data to view as it does to D/L, and if the latter, you can
look at it when you wand, for as long as you want.
. . . . . JimDoc
Michael –
I hope that, once AutoPilot is released for general use, you and others who
have been beta-testing it will upload scads of ARexx macros you have
developed for it!
. . . . . JimDoc
Jim:
I'm afraid I haven't written a single one, although others have. And they
are pretty neat. I'm sure that Homer Moore will make some neat stuff
available, and I'd be willing to bet that once AP is out for a month or
so, you'll see lots of scripts… in fact, I'd bet that in just a short
time after its release, there will be enough example scripts available
that if there isn't one to do EXACTLY what you want, you'll be able to
modify someone else's easily.
// Michael
\X/ …on AutoPilot
I've used AutoPilot most of the time for several months now, Karl. I
think it was about the middle of May when I got 2.04 installed on my
machine, and I began using AP immediately after that. I have written the
docs for the demo version – finished that before I went to Utah last
month. I hope to do the rest of the docs in the next two weeks.
There are lots of nice features in AutoPilot that Whap! does not have. It
looks nicer on the screen. It is more easily configured to your liking –
has more ways to be configured. It supports AREXX so you can have it do
most anything you can write in a script. It's really nice to be able to
start reading messages from one forum as soon as AP moves on to the next
one. I'd be hard pressed to tell you ALL of the things that are nicer,
but I do think you will want it as soon as it is released.
Hmm, sounds juicy. By demo version, do you mean that it will initially be
distributed as Whap was, with an initial version you would use 'till your
check cleared? And then have registration "upgrade" it through CIS mail?
Cool method, and fast.
It will also be nice to have more sysops up to speed on the software
than just Steve and Jim (as on Whap) to answer questions, since they tend
to continue on and on as new users grab the demo Whap from the libraries.
Gee, more work! Aren't you glad?
What was in Utah?
Karl
– via Whap!
It will be distributed in the same way. There are more AP features
disabled in the demo, though. Getting the registered version of AP will
give you a LOT of new features and usability.
I attended a genealogy conference in Provo, Utah last month. Great fun,
and an excellent library for research.
Has anyone kicked around any pricing numbers yet? Sounds neat, but Whap
works well enough it'll hard to justify spending too much on AutoPilot.
I wondered if it might be genealogy, as I thought you were pretty heavy
into that. All those Mormons are good for record-keeping. I'd heard they
were finally going to start distributing their data on CD-ROM last year;
did that ever happen? Previously, you had to go to a Mormon church to use
their records.
Karl
– via Whap!
AutoPilot will be $20.00 for registered Whap! users. Can't wait.
…Dave
Dave,
$20? Great! I'll take one.
Karl
– via Whap!
Yeah, me too, can't wait!
…Dave
Steve has already announced that upgrading from Whap! to AP will cost
registered users only $20 – and it's worth it for all the nice new
features.
The Mormans are talking about distributing their information through other
avenues besides their churches, but they have not done it. THey talked
about making the information available on some of the online services such
as CIS – though they did not want to be exclusive, and would have placed
it on several. This did not happen. Now, they are talking about selling
their CD-ROM system to public libraries and perhaps to individuals, but
this is not yet a reality, either. They are not fast to act on such
things, but their information is excellent once they decide to do it.
They do sell their microfiche records at very reasonable prices. When the
next release is made (before the end of the year, they say) I hope to buy
the fiche for several areas in which I'm interested. I am not a member of
their church, but I do appreciate all their genealogical materials and the
fact that they let anyone use them.
Ooh, $20 is just dandy. I'll upgrade for sure, and then have another entry
on the stack of software to get running!
Karl
– via Whap!
Karl,
I don't think you will have any trouble at all getting AutoPilot going.
In fact, the instructions I wrote will probably bore you to death and
you'll just do it from intuition.
Betty:
Since I've been away from CIS for a while, I've missed all this AutoPilot
stuff. Can you tell me who I contact for information. Any idea as to how
much and how soon? Is there a features list published somewhere?
Wayne
Wayne:
AotoPilot has not yet been released. It will cost registered Whap! users
$20. AP is an AmigaDos 2.0 only program and operates only in interlaced
mode. Here's Steve's "Brag Sheet":
AutoPilot is an automated program specifically designed to make CompuServe
easy and fast for Amiga Users. It can manage all of your
online tasks, most of them automatically and with a single click of your
mouse. It has the ability to collect all of your mail, forum messages,
and downloads of binary files. It has its own editor and message viewer
in which you compose messages or replies to be uploaded. All reading and
composing are done offline. AutoPilot can collect catalogs of the
libraries and can then display the file descriptions individually for you
to make your selections offline. When you sign on again, the files you
selected will be automatically downloaded to your computer.
AutoPilot can make CompuServe easy to use, affordable, and fun. Since
it does its work quickly and gets you offline to do the slow work of
reading, writing, and decompressing, it saves you many dollars.
AutoPilot was inspired by the requests, comments, criticisms of Whap!
users and haters. Hopefully this meets most of those needs.
Some highlights of AutoPilot's features:
* Read messages, browse downloads, perform all offline functions
while online. Many of the various areas of the program
multitask.
* The number of Forums supported is limited only by memory and
disk space.
* Complete automated management of Forums. A full suite of
message capture services including individual section support,
threads and message headers.
* Message reader provides split screen reply editing so you can view
the message to which you are replying. Skip to next thread, print
message, hold message, save an individual message to disk, save
specific correspondence between yourself and another specified
user ids, more. Has the ability to setup a file for download from
<continued>
within the message reader.
* CompuServe B+ protocol (featuring resumable downloads) file
transfers.
* Full control over what actions are performed while online in
each forum. Forums can be enabled or disabled with a click
of the mouse. New forums can be added and removed by a mouseclick.
* Full offline message reading support including searching,
replying, originating, saving as CMail, saving private, and
finding parent messages via a history feature.
* A "history" feature that allows you to keep older messages.
A history management feature so you may "prune" old messages
back to a specific date. You may reply to messages displayed from
the history file. This feature is available on a forum by forum
basis.
* A "hold message" feature that allows you to keep a message you want
to reply to, but "not now". Held messages will displayed whenever
you read that forum's messages until you specifically release the
hold on the message or until you reply to it.
* Complete automated management of CompuServe Mail. This includes
uploads of files as CMail, auto-downloading of files, sending and
receiving of text mail, internet messages, and ATT Mail. Also
supports the CompuServe fax services. Support of CompuServe
distribution lists and indirect support of private networks
(ie. >CS:, >NHM:, etc.).
* A forum library catalog database is maintained, as complete as you
wish. Catalogs can be updated without the need to rescan the entire
library. Catalogs can be sorted by upload date, file size, and
library number. Catalogs contain no duplicate entries and you can
delete entries from your catalog. Further search criteria may be
delimited by keyword, filename, and uploader's user id.
* File uploads to forum libraries support binary, ascii, and GIF
formats.
* An address book, accessible at all times, allows you to save address
information complete with comments. Addresses can be automatically
<continued>
pulled out of messages being viewed and automatically inserted into
the address book.
* Joining new forums is fully automatic.
* Features a general text editor for viewing files, creating files and
editing files.
* Contains a full featured terminal program with a "live" review
buffer, FKey macro support, chat window, ascii screen print, more.
* ARexx support internally and externally, including calling ARexx
macros from FKey macros within the terminal program.
AutoPilot requires 2.0x of the Amiga OS. It is hires/interlace only.
Hardware requirements are an Amiga (of course), hard disk, and a
minimum of 2M ram (the more the better).
-sja
// Michael
\X/ …on AutoPilot
Michael:
Thank you for the information on AutoPilot. Sounds like a very nice
product. I can't wait until it's released. In the meantime, I guess I
better get my copy of Whap! registered.
Wayne
Why the requirement that AutoPilot be interlace only? This will make it
difficult for those without flixerfixers or A3000 to use. Does this mean
that AutoPilot will automatically create an interlaced screen, or will it
return an error if the Preferences setting is not interlaced?
John
John:
AutoPilot opens in a hires public screen. It is believed that hires
interlaced is the future for productivity, allowing a much more usable
screen, and AP _is_ the near future of Amiga telecommunications on CIS. You
can still run AP on a 1084 type monitor, but you will need to adjust your
brightness and contrast to (and/or workbench colors) to minimize the
flicker.
While I understand your point of view and agree that hires interlaced is
the future for productivity, I guess I am at a loss as to how supporting a
hires non-interlaced screen takes away from the functionality of AP. After
all, any word processor is more usable at hires, interlaced mode since you
get more lines on the screen. However, the penalty a user gets for
choosing non-interlaced mode is a limitation of 80×25 (actually I get more
because of overscan). Why not let the user make that decision? When I
purchased Excellence 3.0, it came with the default set to an interlaced
screen. Admittedly, it is more useful that way but I chose to use a
non-interlaced screen not only for the flicker, but because the characters
were larger and easier to read on my tired eyes. On my 386PC at work, I
run some applications in VGA 50+ line mode but have left some applications
at 80×25 simply because it was easier to read. It would be nice if the
user had a choice, and if they chose non-interlaced, would simply pay the
penalty of a reduced number of lines on the screen.
On another note, does a public screen inherit the Preference
characteristics or can the WB be set at hires non-interlaced but AP would
just open a hires interlaced screen inheriting the WB Preference colors.
Thanks for your time,
John
I agree that the choice should be left to the user. Not everyone can
afford a de-interlacer and the necessary monitor. I happen to have both,
but I still think there are uses for non-interlaced screens.
As for larger characters, programs that are Release 2 compliant should
support larger font sizes. Using an interlaced screen with these larger
sizes looks quite nice and is quite readable. Again, user choice is the
key issue here.
Wayne
Wayne,
AutoPilot is a new navigator for CIS. It is not based on Whap, but it
does the same job, only much better, and has a great many features that
WHap! never had. It is not yet ready for release, but will be coming to
you in the VERY near future. I believe that Steve put a list of its
features in one of the libraries a couple of weeks ago, but I do not
remember where at this moment. I suspect it would be in AmigaUser,
Library 5.
The price has not been announced, so far as I know, other than the fact
that it will cost $20 to upgrade from Whap! to AP. The release date has
not been announced, but should be very, very soon. The most recent beta
version was released about the middle of July and it is now about the
middle of August, so this version has been doing extremely well for the
testers.
There'll be at least 1 more beta version.
So I'd best get VERY busy, right?