Here is a picture in HAM8 that shows me browsing the WWW using Ibrowse. How
can that be done? Well, it's not too simple, but it's something to look at!
Finally you don't need a graphics card to view JPEGs on the Web in high color.
Here's how to do it:
1) Get picture.datatype v43 from AmiNet, and install it.
2) Get akJFIF.datatype from AmiNet, and install that.
3) Configure the akJFIF datatype prefs to render JPEGs in HAM8 (or HAM6).
Now the tricky part:
4) Edit ENV:Sys/screenmode.prefs with a HEX editor and go to the byte at $34,
which is the 53rd byte into the file. It should read "x0", where x can be
any number. Change the lower nybble from 0 to 8, so that the byte reads
"x8". Next, edit the byte at $3B, which is the 60th byte into the file.
It should initially be the number of the colour depth to which your screen
is set, so mine (which is in 16 colours, reads "04". Set the lower nybble
either to 6 or to 8, depending on whether you want HAM-6 or HAM-8. Save
the file, and this should change your Workbench screen into HAM.
5) Load up your web browser (whichever one you use), and make sure it uses
datatypes for JPEG image decoding. Change the preferences in your browser
so that it appears on the public screen (ie: Workbench).
6) Start up the internet and browse!
A few details:
Unfortunately, HAM has some bad fringing if the HAM palette isn't set well,
or even set properly. The JPEG datatype remaps a JPEG to its own palette,
instead of using the Workbench palette as a base palette; so, it bleeds.
Also, GIFs, obviously don't get remapped to HAM, so those only get remapped to
the Workbench's base palette.
Furthermore, HAM, specifically HAM8, screens put a high strain on the Amiga's
DMA. This means that transfer rates through your modem will plummet if you're
displaying the HAM screen at the same time as the datatype is remapping, and
the remaining images are downloading. To get the transfer rates as high as
possible, open another screen (a paint program or something), in a screenmode
that takes the least amount of DMA-time. 320x200x1 in NTSC is a good screen.
When you're downloading, keep this small screen to the front; it should free
up the CPU considerably.
(This same principle applies for users of ShapeShifter, by the way.)
Good Luck, Amigans!
Chris Covell
ccovell@direct.ca
http://www.dsoe.com/zyx/covell/
http://mypage.direct.ca/c/ccovell/
|
aminet net>