Amos Kittens tries to be 100% compatible AMOS interpreter, so you can download Amos programs from Aminet or cover disks or run AMOS code from ADF disk images. This is the goal of this project. The Amos Kittens commands tries to stay 99% compatible, a few commands won’t work as this project use a bit more modern chunky image format instead of the planar graphic format used on Amiga 500 to 4000.
AmigaOS4.x is the platform this thing primary developed on, however code is sometimes tested on other operating systems.
MorphOS / AROS / AmigaOS3.x The API's are whery similar to AmigaOS4.x there for it should be relatively easy to make the changes need to make it compile, however due to having to focus on adding new features, I have no time to keep thing up to date on many different operating systems.
Linux I decided to port some of it to Linux, now interpreter did works under Linux x86 32bit at one time, (it did however not have a graphical display on Linux. Unlike the AmigaOS version). The Linux version is used to find hard to find bugs, and help find and remove stupid mistakes in the code, due to the superior memory protection in Linux. (Currently some files were removed due to being outdated compare to Amiga version of this files.), now after implementing the “include” command, Linux little endian support got officially broken.
Windows Part of the code is sometimes tested in Virtual Studio, some headers does support visual studio compiler. However, no attempt at compiling a full version has been tried. Now after implementing the “include” command, Windows little endian support got officially broken.
ATARI I have been investigating, if that be possible due link between STOS and AMOS, from what found doing some research on ATARI ST graphics, is that it has lot less colors, and can't display as many colors in higher resolutions. I have not looked at memory limitations but AMOS Kittens is written in C++ code and bit fatter then 680x0 optimized assembler code, I been investigating ATARI Falcon and ATARI TT, this might be able to do it, and it be cool to support it, but there is lot less users on this platforms.
If you’re a MorphOS or AROS developer don't let that stop you, but please make directories like OS/MorphOS or OS/AROS, where keep the modified versions of files, plase clone this porject on git so I can merge in changes I like), I like try to avoid "#IFDEF" all over the source code.
Kittens is becoming more and more feature complete, there are few commands that is not working,
Please also read the document describing how Kitten commands works. Some of commands have enhancements over the original AmosPro commands, but they should be backwards compatible.
https://github.com/khval/AmosKittens/blob/master/commands.md
Kittens does not support the old extension format, but I have recreated some of old extensions in order for your AMOS programs to work, please note that some of the extensions are not fully implemented, download and check the status page on this projects here.
https://github.com/khval/kittyCraft.library
https://github.com/khval/kittyMusiCraft.library
https://github.com/khval/kittyMusic.library
https://github.com/khval/kittyTurbo.library
https://github.com/khval/kittycompact.library
There are two ways you use Amos Kittens.
- As workbench tool for project icon.
Change the “Default tool:” on your Amos project icon to AmosKittens. set Execution Mode/Run as: Workbench,
- From shell
AmosKittens [dir]/[filename.amos]
If window flashes on the screen, you might be runing a simple exsample, without "Wait Key", unlike Amos Pro, Amos kittens don't wait for a key press if the program is done.
If AmosKittens return with a token number, It might be using a command this not supported, or not implemented, check the source code of Amos program your running. Then check “Not yet supported” as bottom of this page. And check "Issues" and "current Status:" on GitHub so see what Amos Kittens support and what not.
Writing Amos Kittens compatible code, I like to suggest using “Amos Professional Unity” as this is the most advanced version of Amos Pro right now, however lett me explain:
Amos Professional Unity does come with a lot of new commands in AmosPro_Personal.lib and AmosPro_AgaSupport.lib, this extension is not yet replicated for Amos kittens. Try to avoid these commands, and stick to standard commands for Amos Kittens. And Unity breaks some extensions, some of extensions Amos Kittens support might not be supported by Unity. Also “Spack” command a few other commands might not work the same or store data in same way for 256 colors.
Amos Kittens was tested whit Amos programs written in AMOS Professional 2.0, and will most likely work best with best the original.
Later I might do a new editor replacing the Editor, with the aim of making editor without the bugs and problems, that is so hard to fix, and modernizing. But I can’t do everything at once, and so its pleasing that the old code is being updated.
To enable debugging edit debug.h file here you find some switches , you can enable or disable, once the file is changed all files will be rebuilt automatic no need to type "make clean"
Amos kittens might stop at any time.. it is possible that getchar(), command is halting the program. This most likely due to a command your using is not yet fully implemented, and program is being paused, so I can see what is going on.
Implemented:
- Chapter 4. Basic Principle .
- Chapter 5. String functions.
- Chapter 6. Graphics.
- Chapter 7. Control structures.
- Chapter 8. Maths commands
- Chapter 10. Screens
- Chapter 15. Background graphics.
- Chapter 18. The Keyboard
- Chapter 20. Disk access.
- Chapter 21. Screen compaction.
- Chapter 22. Machine level instructions
Partially (or mostly) implemented:
- Chapter 8. Text & Windows
- Chapter 19. Other commands
- Chapter 11. Hardware sprites
- Chapter 12. Blitter objects
- Chapter 13. Object control
- Chapter 14. Amal
- Chapter 16. Menus
- Chapter 17. Sound
- Chapter 17. music
AmosPro support:
- Resource banks
- The Interface Language (mostly done)
- Devices and Libraries
Unlike AMOS Pro, Amos Kittens probably have something on the stack after the procedure returns, so you most likely can use it as it was a "function".. but that is just a side effect. (I like to keep this because it the way modern programing languages works.)
Be careful with these commands.
String in Amos kittens are \0 terminated. VarPtr(a#) will return a address to double not a float. Call don't support arguments (yet)
On X86 Linux you might run into endieness issues if your using VarPtr(var), to peek into local or global variable.
Some kown commands that was skiped or is currently NOP (no operation)
https://github.com/khval/AmosKittens
What we know is that Amos Pro was published by Europress they had the copyright / trademarks, but the source code was released as BSD style license by clickteam, I believe it was also under MIT license for a while, François Lionet later wonted to change License to LGPLv2/LGPLv3 style license, on Facebook groups, we do not need the source, and we should not use it, for this project.
Today 26.04.2020, the copyright license of Amos Pro changed again back to MIT, so as of today AmosPro has compatible license, and we can use all assets from Amos Pro in Amos Kittens products, provided copyright noticed are included.
https://github.com/khval/AmosKittens/blob/master/Assets-license/AmosPro-license-26_04_2020.PNG
GitHub policy about this stuff very strict, I’m not sure I want include anything I later have to remove, because really hard to purge the git repo of this stuff, if we need to remove it again. Maybe it better solved by git branches.
I do not have any right to orginal trademarks, like the logos, I do not own the “Amos The Creator”, "Amos 3D“, "Easy Amos”, “Amos Professional”, or any of these names, so please do not bundle trademarked graphics / designs with this package. I’m not responsible for breach of trademark. If trademarks are being protected or not is unclear as this point.
Amos Kittens is only legal because the patents if any have expired, they are limited to 20 years. "Amos" is a common name like Stave or Fredrik, so should not be a issue to use.
Amos kittens was started after XAMOS author Stephen Harvey-Brooks (Mequa) of JAMOS/XAMOS passed away in 2015, he was responsible for different AMOS like interpreters. XAMOS was another attempt to revive the AMOS Basic language. As no one was carry the flag at time.
Amos Kittens is a direct decedent of the Amos2Ascii project started in 2017, it also depends on earlier work of retroMode.library started in October 2017.
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A new redesigned mouse pointer it also contains new patterns, in 256 colors.
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A new default resource for Amos Kittens.
Redesigned all GUI elements, removed all design elements from Amos Pro, Size of graphics elements cannot be changed, interface language scripts, do not scale, position and widths / heights are defined by pixels, also minimum with of button is 16 pixels.
the default resource for amos kittens does not include any of the interface scripts normally required by Amos Pro. And all text normally in the resource is removed, this should not be needed in Amos Kittens.
(Some of the programs written in Amos Basic Language, can have colors hard coded, and therefor can ignore the colors in the default resource.)