Amiga Related Books FAQ
Marc Atkin
Archive-name: amiga/books
Posting-Frequency: every two months on the 7th
Last-modified: 7-March-2001
Amiga Related Books FAQ
***********************
This FAQ is compiled as a service to the Amiga community. It is an attempt to
give the Amiga programmer and user an overview of useful books for his/her
favorite computer. It is not complete. If you feel that a book should be
added to the list, want to comment on one of the books in the list, want to
point out mistakes or add missing information, please send e-mail to:
I think it is useful to hear people's comments about particular books. That
is why some book descriptions are followed by quotes that I picked up from
the Usenet Amiga news groups. If you want to have your comment removed or
want to say something about a particular book, please contact me. Anonymous
comments, content-free opinions, or remarks that I determine to be factually
wrong will not be accepted.
The most up-to-date text version of this FAQ can be found at:
http://eksl-www.cs.umass.edu/~atkin/amiga/books.faq.txt
There is also a HTML version available:
http://eksl-www.cs.umass.edu/~atkin/amiga/books.faq.html
This document is copyright (c) 2001, Marc Atkin . All rights reserved.
Permission is granted for non-profit distribution of this document as long as
it is kept intact. Inclusion of this FAQ in commercial publications
(including CDROMs) requires express written permission.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last changed: 7-March-2001
Changes since last posting to the comp.sys.amiga.* newsgroups:
o none!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contents:
=========
0. Terms and Conventions
1. Understanding the Amiga
1.1 Programmer's 'Must Haves'
1.2 Programmer's Reference
1.3 General Reference
1.4 AmigaDOS
1.5 Hardware
1.6 Important Older Material
2. Assembly Programming
2.1 Learning Assembly (680x0)
2.2 Reference
3. C Programming
3.1 Learning C
3.2 Reference
3.3 Amiga Specific
4. C++ Programming
4.1 Learning C++
4.2 Reference
5. ARexx Programming
5.1 Learning ARexx
5.2 Reference
6. Applications Programming
6.1 Compilers
6.2 Computer Graphics
6.3 User Interfaces
7. Using Applications
7.1 The Video Toaster
7.2 Telecommunications
7.3 Music
Appendix A: Ordering Information
0. Terms and Conventions
========================
Unless otherwise specified, all prices are in U.S. Dollars:
o AUS: Australian Dollars
o CAN: Canadian Dollars
o UKP: English Pounds
o DM: German Marks
Book comments without an attribution are my own (well, at least I take
responsibility for them).
I try to give information about the newest edition of a book. If a comment's
date precedes the publication date, it's probably referring to an older
edition.
1. Understanding the Amiga
==========================
1.1 Programmer's 'Must Haves'
-----------------------------
o Amiga International:
Amiga Developer CD V2.1
1999, [publisher?]
DM 49.00 (about $27)
This CD contains all the material you need to start developing software
for Amiga computers.
The new 3.5 Native Developer Kit:
o Updated and revised `C' and assembly language header files and linker
libraries
o Updated and revised system documentation and tutorial texts
o Example code covering the AmigaOS 3.0, 3.1 and 3.5 features
o The NewIFF v39 package
o The AmigaGuide and DataType documentation and example code
o WarpUP (PowerPC) developer documentation and examples
Additional developer material:
o BOOPSI gadget and image classes, ReActor BOOPSI toolkit and example code,
the AmigaOS 2.04 example code, the RKM 2.04 code examples, tables
listing which operating system modules were added, removed or updated
in subsequent AmigaOS releases, the complete set of registered IFF
forms, IFF example and stress test files, all IFF packages released
by Commodore-Amiga, Inc., the camd v37.1 MIDI developer kit, the
SANA-II standard package and developer kit, the Installer v43.3
package, the CDTV developer disks
o International support material: Sample text using the full ISO-8859-1
character set, translation guidelines
o Reference material: Amiga Mail Volume 1 articles (Spring 1987 -
Jan/Feb 1989), the complete Amiga Mail Volume 2 articles in
AmigaGuide format (Jan/Feb 1990 - Mar/Apr 1993), the Includes &
Autodocs in AmigaGuide format, revised Amiga ROM Kernel Reference
Manuals in AmigaGuide format, HTML versions of all AmigaGuide format
manuals
o Historical developer material: DevCon Disks (1988-1993), the CD32
developer package, 1.3, 2.0, 3.1 Native Developer Kits
o Packages contributed by 3rd parties: the StormC 68K C/C++ developer
package, the WBPath and ActionFSSM packages (Ralf Babel), Personal
Paint, CopyIcon, MailBX and DirDiff packages (Cloanto), INet 225
developer kit V2 (Interworks, Inc.), Picasso96 developer kit
(Alexander Kneer and Tobias Abt), the Miami SDK V2.1 (Nordic Global,
Inc.), CyberGraphX V4 developer kit (Frank Mariak), the MMUlib
package (Thomas Richter), the Kiskometer and MakeCD packages (Angela
Schmidt and Patrick Ohly), Enforcer v37.64 (Mike Sinz ), Envoy v3.0
developer kit (Heinz Wrobel), Wipeout, Blowup and Sashimi debugging
tools and CheckGuide (Olaf Barthel)
o Ralph Babel:
The Amiga Guru Book
1993, Ralph Babel (published by Ralph Babel, no ISBN)
DM 79.00
h...@brewhr.swb.de (Heiko Rath), 3 Dec 1993:
"The Amiga Guru Book is a book about the Amiga and its operating system.
It offers fundamental knowledge of the Amiga system and covers such areas
as: guidelines for proper multitasking programming, ANSI C, Aztec C and
SAS/C, debugging techniques, AmigaDOS, the file systems, the format of
load and object modules, process creation, CLI and user shells, handlers
and packets (more than complete list of packets), and many other areas.
There are many useful bits and pieces about the OS that you'd have a hard
time finding anywhere else."
Further reviews are available in docs/misc/gurubook-info.lha on Aminet .
o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Libraries
(3rd edition; dark gray cover)
Addison-Wesley , 1991. ISBN 0-201-56774-1
$38.95
Basic introduction to using the Amiga library functions for intuition,
graphics, and exec. Many C examples. Suitable for the beginner, although
some background in computer programming (especially C) would be helpful.
Covers Kickstart/Workbench through version 2.0. All examples are
available in executable and source code form from Fish disk #741 and
#742.
o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Devices
(3rd edition; dark gray cover)
Addison-Wesley , 1991. ISBN 201-56775-X
$28.95
Basic introduction to programming Amiga devices and resources (basic I/O
interface to the actual hardware). Many C examples which are available in
executable and source code form from Fish disk #741. Covers
Kickstart/Workbench through vesion 2.0. This book also contains the
official IFF documentation, which covers the IFF format philosophy itself
and many of its incarnations. The included IFF handling code has been
superseded several times by publications on Fish disks. As of this
writing, the newest version is 39.11 from Fish disk #985.
o Commodore-Amiga, Inc.:
The AmigaDOS Manual (3rd edition)
Bantam, 1991. ISBN 0-553-35403-5
$24.95, CAN 31.95, UKP 21.99
Covers all AmigaDOS through 2.04. It contains a user manual style
introduction to the AmigaShell and its commands (which actually is
identical to some user manualy shipped by C=), a printout of the
Autodocs, and covers the on-disk structure of OFS and FFS, the format of
linkable and loadable binaries, packets, and some internal DOS
structures.
ar...@yaps.dinoco.de (Arno Eigenwillig), 27 Jul 1994:
"I would not recommend it, though. It has a high redundancy w.r.t. other
publications from C=, and its exclusive parts are often incomplete or
incorrect."
o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga User Interface Style Guide
Addison-Wesley , 1991. ISBN 0-201-57757-7
$21.95
Describes the philosophy behinds the Amiga graphical user interface.
Presents guidelines for interface design ("look and feel") that all Amiga
applications (and games!?) should adhere to. Covers Kickstart/Workbench
version 2.x. Well suited for the beginner, with emphasis on general
interface principles, and less on the actual programming.
1.2 Programmer's Reference
--------------------------
o John Thomas Berry:
Inside the Amiga with C (2nd edition)
Waite Group Press , 1988. ISBN 0-672-22625-1
$24.95
"David Sowsy" dso...@cs.uml.edu, 23 May 1996:
"It has enough theory and explains adequately the Amiga's core messaging
system and custom hardware accesses using C programming techniques. The
code however is very out of date (1.2). [The target audience is] someone
who has decent background in formal data structures, assembly/machine
level programming, and CS arithmetic (bin, hex, and decimal conversions),
as well as C. C++ programmers can benefit as well because the messaging
concepts are fairly high level."
o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Includes and Autodocs
(3rd edition; dark gray cover)
Addison-Wesley , 1991. ISBN 0-201-56773-3
$38.95
Covers Kickstart/Workbench through version 2.0. The book is basically a
print-out of all the include (header) files and autodocs (on line
descriptions) of all the Amiga library functions except DOS. The reason
this book isn't listed with the "must have's" is that all this
information can be obtained in machine readable form by contacting
Commodore directly. Additionally, the include files come with most
commercial compilers. They are also included on the FreshFish CD-ROM.
o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga Hardware Reference Manual
(3rd edition; dark gray cover)
Addison-Wesley , 1991. ISBN 0-201-56776-8
If you want to access the hardware directly, this is the book to get.
Descriptions of all the Amiga hardware registers. Be warned however that
Commodore now officially dissuades "banging the hardware". This is to
ensure compatability of today's programs with future releases of the
operating system and Amiga hardware. This book covers the Enhanced Chip
Set (ECS). There will be no manual for AGA (Advanced Graphic
Architecture).
o Commodore Business Machines:
V3.1 Amiga Developer Update Disk Set
Commodore, 1994.
CATS part number: AMDEV3.1
$30.00
(superseded by the Developer CD .)
Contents:
o Docs: V40.15 Autodocs, and articles/notes about V38/V39/V40
o Includes & Libs: V40.15C and assembler include files and linker libs
o Examples1: General library examples including Locale, plus PCMCIA
o Examples2: IFF modules and examples, Datatypes, AmigaGuide
o SWToolkit3: The latest Amiga debugging tools
o Commodore Business Machines:
1989 Amiga Developers Conference Notes
Commodore, 1989.
CATS part numbers: NOTES89 & NOTES89D
$75.00
510-page manual and 2 disks created for 1989 Amiga Developers Conference.
Subjects include: Intro to Programming the Amiga, Features Outline for
V1.3 ECS Features and the Graphics Library, Janus Dual-Port Memory,
Hi-Res Color Graphics Card, Interfacing to ARexx, Advanced Amiga
Architechtures, The IFF parse.library, and more.
o Commodore Business Machines:
1988 Amiga Developers Conference Notes
Commodore, 1988.
CATS part numbers: NOTES88 & NOTES88D
$75.00
400+ page manual and 4 disks created for 1988 Amiga Developers
Conference. Topics covered include: Unique Amiga Techniques, Tips and
Tricks for Programming in C, IFF, Autoboot and Kickstart V1.3, V1.3
Printer Device and Printer Drivers, Amiga Audio and Sound, Overscan,
Hi-Resolution Fonts, Programming for 16-Bit Amiga, A500 Expansion Cards,
and much more.
o Commodore Business Machines:
AmigaMail (The Amiga Technical Newsletter)
Commodore, 1987-1993.
CATS part numbers and prices below
AmigaMail Volume I, P/N: AMVOL1 $75.00
Back issues from January/February 1987 to July/August '90.
(Binder and index tabs are sold separately.)
AmigaMail Volume II, P/N: AMAILBI01 $75.00
Back issues from September/October '90 to May/June '93.
(Binder and index tabs are sold separately.)
AmigaMail Binder, P/N: AMAIL1B01 (Vol. 1), AMAIL2B02 (Vol. II) $10.00 ea.
AmigaMail Index Tabs, P/N: AMAILIND $5.00 ea.
o Christian Kuhnert, Stefan Maelger, and Johannes Schemmel:
Amiga Intern
Abacus, 1992. ISBN 1-55755-148-0
Ad...@beachyhd.demon.co.uk, 08 Apr 1996:
"It is out of print now, [...] but there may well be copies stored in
warehouses around the world if people look hard enough (I managed to pick
up a copy for a friend of mine about a year ago, after a bit of
searching). The book is basicaly split in to 3 parts. The first part
concerns the Amiga libraries, and gives a fairly comprehensive run down
(including descriptions, parameters, usage, etc.) of all the functions
(KS2.x) of all the main system libraries. The second part is an excellent
guide and reference section for programming AREXX. I learned everything I
know about AREXX from this book. It follows on in to details of how to
write external programs that can interact with AREXX programs, etc. The
third part is hardware related. This, nowadays, is less useful, mainly
because (i) we are now forbidden to touch the hardware FTMP, and (ii)
it's only the ECS hardware, not the AGA stuff. I still think this is one
of the most useful books I've bought."
o Sheldon Leemon:
Inside Amiga Graphics
Compute! Publications, 1986. ISBN 0-87455-040-8
Charles Patterson (mid...@azstarnet.com), 4 Oct 1997:
"Graphics programming in C and BASIC. In depth and detailed information
on using graphics."
o Stephen Levy:
Amiga Programmer's Guide
Compute! Publications, 1986. ISBN 0-87455-028-9
Charles Patterson (mid...@azstarnet.com), 4 Oct 1997:
"General overview of the Amiga and programming it in Basic, C, and
Assembler. Handy for the beginner."
o Eugene P. Mortimore:
Amiga Programmer's Handbook
Sybex, 1985. ISBN 0-89588-343-0
Charles Patterson (mid...@azstarnet.com), 4 Oct 1997:
"Detailed information on programming the Amiga. A wealth of information.
Very handy reference but quite dated."
o Robert A. Peck:
Programmer's Guide to the Amiga
Sybex, 1987. ISBN 0-89588-310-4
Leslie Ayling (lay...@intercoast.com.au), 7 Feb 2001:
"While it is only current up to KS1.2, it has many example programs in C
that cover the following areas: AmigaDOS, Exec, Gfx, Intuition, Devices,
Sound, Animation and more. Step by Step examples in every chapter, and
the book is also keen to promote good programming practices. Also a good
chapter on multi-tasking and inter-process communication. Slightly dated
but still worthwhile."
o Randy Thompson and Rhett Anderson:
Mapping the Amiga
Compute Books, 1993. ISBN 0-87455-267-2
$27.95
jag...@sarah.wisc.edu (Jonathan Gapen):
"Alphabetical listing of all OS functions with descriptions, host
library, offsets, syntax, prototype in C and ML, arguments, results and
the OS version in which it first appeared. Alphabetical listing of all OS
structures with size, include file and listing of the structure with C
and ML types. Also includes a section listing all hardware registers with
detailed descriptions. Covers OS versions through V39 and hardware
through ECS."
o [author?]:
The 'Kickstart' Guide to the AMIGA
Ariadne Software Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-9512921-0-2
ajo1 (aj...@ukc.ac.uk), 10-Nov-1995:
"It details quite a few low level concepts on how to write stuff for the
Amiga; it has some assumptions that you have come from programming a C64,
but it still useable otherwise. It's quite old and only goes up to 1.2,
and it talks about 1.1, but the basic concepts are there, which seem to
be lacking from more modern stuff (where it is assumed you know it
already). Overall, not a book I would buy new, but as it only cost me 2
UKP, I'm not exactly going to argue about it."
1.3 General Reference
---------------------
o Denny Atkin:
Denny Atkin's Best Amiga Tips and Secrets
Compute Books, 1993. ISBN 0-87455-275-3
$19.95
"Dale L. Larson" da...@iam.iam.com:
"From the back of the book: `Whether you're a beginner or expert you'll
find hundreds of handy tips for harnessing the power of your Amiga in
this extensive guide.' I agree and wholeheartedly recommend this book.
(Actually, I probably only found a dozen tips that were new to me, but I
am a former Commodore Software Engineer.) It includes info on machines
from the A1000 to the A1200 and A4000 and software for all of the above."
o Paul Overaa:
First Steps Amiga
Bookmark Publishing Ltd , 1996, ISBN 1-85550-008-6
6.99 UKP
Bookmark Publishing, 10 May 1996:
"Written and designed with the out-and-out newcomer in mind [...] No
previous experience required, of the Amiga or of any computer! [...] It
explains in clear, everyday terms how to operate your Amiga and the
valuable Workbench programs that come with it."
o David Tiberio:
Amiga/Toaster Reference Manual
Area52 , 1994. (published by Area52, no ISBN)
$34.95
dtib...@libserv1.ic.sunysb.ed (David Tiberio), 25 Mar 1994:
"[The book] contains over 1000 pages and 80 pictures, all about the Amiga
and computers. It covers AmigaDOS, Workbench, Lightwave, AdPro, hardware
compatibility, some ARexx, and over 500 FAQ style questions. Also
included are hundreds of charts and tables, and Index of things such as
Light Refraction (3d users), GURU errors, screenmodes, color RGB values
for over 300 colors, Hayes commands, and more. The dictionary included
with it contains over 800 words, although the next revision will have
over 3000 words in the dictionary. [...] also included is a 40 page list
of people, movies, etc that use Amigas for various purposes."
A demo is available from Aminet ( biz/demo/AORM_2.2.lha ).
1.4 AmigaDOS
------------
o Commodore-Amiga, Inc.:
The AmigaDOS Manual (3rd edition)
Bantam, 1991. ISBN 0-553-35403-5
$24.95, CAN 31.95, UKP 21.99
see section 1.1: "Programmer's 'Must haves'"
o Sheldon Leemon:
AmigaDOS Reference Guide (4th edition)
Compute, 1992. ISBN 0-87455-268-0
$22.95, UKP 20.95
se...@dmu.ac.uk (Paul Toyne), 9 Feb 1994:
"...it is excellent, it covers all forms of pattern matching, the basics
of DOS and then lists each command with complete description. It covers
1.x ,2.x and 3.x."
o [author?]:
Mastering Amiga DOS, Volumes 1, 2, and 3
Bruce Smith Books, [year?]. ISBN 1-873308-18-3
UKP 21.95
anonymous, 11 Feb 1994:
"I just bought vol 1 and I wouldn't recommend it -- it's too basic and
incorrect in spots. And when he gets to an interesting part, he says it's
in vol 2."
1.5 Hardware
------------
o Warren Block:
A1200 Hardware FAQ
A4000 Hardware Guide
These two on-line documents answer common hardware problems with the
A1200 and A4000, and how to go about fixing them. They are both available
on Aminet ( hard/misc/a1200hardfaq.lha and hard/misc/a4khard.lha ).
o Commodore Business Machines:
A500/A2000 Technical Reference Guide
Commodore, [year?].
CATS part number: TECHREF01
$40.00
A 275-page reference manual that describes the technical features of the
A500 and A2000, as well as those features that differ from the A1000.
Table of contents includes: System Block Diagrams, Amiga Expansion,
Designing Hardware for the Amiga Expansion Architecture, Driver
Documentation, Software for Amiga Expansion, PC Bridgeboard and
schematics.
o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga 1000 Schematics and Expansion Specifications
Commodore, 1986.
CATS part number: A1000SM
$20.00
Spiral-bound manual containing full Amiga 1000 schematics, timing
diagrams, PAL equations, and documentation for the auto-configuration
process.
o Grote, Gelfland, Abraham:
Amiga Disk Drives, Inside and Out
Abacus, 1988. ISBN 1-55755-042-5
l...@hawaiian.net (Lopaka), 7 Apr 1996:
"Came with a disk and some programs, lots of info about how the old file
system worked, ways to hack it, overcome copy protection etc. My gripe
was that 'Inside and Out' should at least cover what the jumpers do, tips
on fixing floppy drives, ways to make PC drives work on the Amiga etc. If
I had a chance to glance at it first, I would not have ordered it, but it
was mail order. I'm sure some coders would like the book, but ah well,
it's too dated now, I think."
luc...@flashnet.it (Luca DP), 25 May 1998:
"It's simply a great book, and it covers everything from how the data is
physically stored on the disks to everything a programmer should know
about: programming under AmigaDos or directly `banging' on the hardware.
It includes plenty of examples (and there are 3 working programs at the
end of the book) and a disassembly of the ROM routines. Don't even think
about making your own boot disk without this book! If you can find it
now, even used, it's worth buying."
Randel...@scala.com (Randell Jesup), 20 Jul 1998:
"I was in charge of the disk drivers and AmigaDOS at Commodore from 1988
until the end. I did major rewrites on the floppy drivers, rewrote
AmigaDOS in C/ASM (from BCPL/ASM), etc. This book has more technical
errors and code-bugs than you can shake a stick at. Many of the specs
given (or more normally assumed without comment) are just plain wrong and
will fail on some subset of Amiga drives out there (people like this were
the reason some program's copy-protection code failed randomly or on
certain machines). I have a copy of it (in a box somewhere now) that had
yellow post-it's for each major bug. It was full of them. I considered
this book a hopeless case back in '88.
If you must program the floppy hardware directly, respect the timing
requirements. The code in the book was littered with busywait-loops that
might work semi-correctly on an A500 - maybe. Take over from the OS
correctly so you don't collide with it. [...] The [AmigaDOS] drivers come
within a few percent of the theoretical max, and have extensive
error-recovery code to manage to retrieve sectors off of damaged tracks.
Use the OS."
o [author?]:
A1200 Insiders Guide
Bruce Smith Books, [year?]. [ISBN?]
UKP 14.95
o various authors:
Specification for the Advanced Amiga (AA) Chip Set
1993.
On-line document, available from Aminet ( text/hyper/aga_guide.lha ).
Di...@chessy.aworld.de (Dirk Kocherscheidt), 12 Apr 1996:
[...] includes a complete list of the registers of the AGA-Custom-Chips.
As far as I know, this guide is the only available documentation about
AGA. It's pretty useful for demo/game coders who already know how the OCS
works, because the guide doesn't give any real examples (except
explaining how the new display and sprite modes work). The registers are
both listed by address and by name. If you click on the register's name
you get exact information about what each bit means and how it has to be
used. All in all I'd say that this guide is pretty useful."
1.6 Important Older Material
----------------------------
o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Libraries and Devices
(1st edition; white cover)
Addison-Wesley , 1986. ISBN 0-201-11078-4
Covers the Amiga System Software up to Version 1.2. Gives a good
introduction to programming Amiga graphics and I/O. Many examples, mostly
in C (Source Code can be found on Fisk Disk ???). Since the operating
system has evolved quite a bit since 1986, this and the following books'
value is now mostly nostalgia...
o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga Intuition Reference Manual
(1st edition; white cover)
Addison-Wesley , 1986. ISBN 0-201-11076-8
Covers Intuition programming through Workbench 1.2. A wonderfully gentle
introduction to programming user interfaces on the Amiga. Contains a lot
of information on the philosophy of the Amiga interface. Basic knowledge
of C required. Now superseded by the newer "RKM: Libraries" and "User
Interface Style Guide".
o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Exec
(1st edition; white cover)
Addison-Wesley , 1986. ISBN 0-201-11099-7
Covers Exec programming through Kickstart/Workbench 1.2. The nitty gritty
of the Amiga kernel: Basic data structures, tasks, memory allocation and
the like. Now superseded by the newer "RKM: Libraries".
o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga Hardware Reference Manual
(1st edition; white cover)
Addison-Wesley , 1986. ISBN 0-201-11077-6
The hardware bangers manual for the original chipset (OCS). Explains what
all the hardware registers mean and how to get them to work for you. Some
assembly examples. Since Commodore now officially dissuades from directly
accessing the hardware, and has no plans for publishing an AGA hardware
manual, this book is actually still fairly useful for those who have to
know how their computer works on the hardware level.
o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Includes and Autodocs
(2nd edition; blue cover)
Addison-Wesley , 1989. ISBN 0-201-18177-0
Covers version Kickstart/Workbench Version 1.3. A print-out of all the
include files and autodocs (on-line documentation) for all the Amiga
library functions (except DOS). Contains summaries and call parameters
for all the functions. This information had previously been distributed
amongst the Libraries, Exec, and Intuition Rom Kernel Reference Manual in
the 1.2 release.
o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Libraries and Devices
(2nd edition; blue cover)
Addison-Wesley , 1989. ISBN 0-201-18187-8
All the introductory text and examples from the Kickstart Version 1.2 ROM
Kernel Reference Manuals, revised and updated for Version 1.3. All
examples are available in executable and source code form from Fish disk
#344.
o Commodore Business Machines:
Amiga Hardware Reference Manual
(2nd edition; blue cover)
Addison-Wesley , 1989. ISBN 0-201-18157-6
As far as I know, this manual is basically identical to the 1.2 release
described above (although it claims to be updated to release 1.3).
o Commodore Business Machines:
AmigaDOS V2.0 Native Developer Update
Commodore, [year?].
CATS part number: NATDEV20
$20.00
The 2.0 Native Developer Update is a must-have for any Amiga programmer.
This four-disk set contains the final 2.0 function Autodocs, final 2.0 C
and assembler Amiga include files, linker libs (Amiga.lib, debug.lib,
ddebug.lib) FD files, offsets, a great deal of 2.0 example code, and the
"Software Toolkit II" disk full of the latest Amiga debugging tools.
(This disk set has been replaced by the new V3.1 Amiga Developer Update
but is still very useful for its 2.0 example code).
2. Assembly Programming
=======================
[also see the comp.sys.m68k FAQ ]
2.1 Learning Assembly (680x0)
-----------------------------
o Gerry Kane, Doug Hawkins, and Lance Leventhal:
68000 Assembly Language Programming
Osborne McGraw-Hill , 1981. ISBN 0-931988-62-4
o Stan Kelly-Bootle and Bob Fowler:
68000, 68010, 68020 Primer
Waite Group Press , 1987 (2nd printing). ISBN 067-224050-4
bruce...@canrem.com (Bruce Parke), 27 Oct 1993:
"The best book that I have found on the 68000 [...]. I have found it to
be easy to understand, and has helped to make me understand the 68000's
instructions without a lot of effort. Everyone I have loaned the book to
says the same thing. It explains everything about the instructions."
o Paul Overaa:
Mastering Amiga Assembler
Bruce Smith Books, 1992. ISBN 1-873308-11-6
o [author?]:
Amiga Machine Language
Abacus, [year?]. [ISBN?]
aroe...@dragon.achilles.net (Andrew Roehrig), 15 Jun 1995:
"It's a little old, but [the book] is a good starter. I picked up my copy
for five bucks at a used book store. It's blue and white."
ron...@darkside.demon.co.uk (Ron Lyon), 18 Jun 1995:
"This book is terrible, useless, incorrect, [expletive], no good, and
guess what I dont like it. It is so old that it was written for Workbench
1.2, it teaches you bad coding habits and the code in there never seemed
to work for me. ;-( I had the misfortune to try and learn assembly from
this book when it first came out. I've still got it but now it's in lots
of small pieces, it's great therapy tearing yet another page to bits when
some code doesn't do what it should. ;-) Try `Mastering Amiga Assembler'
by Paul Overaa published by Bruce Smith Books. Also try a generic 68000
programming book to learn the instruction set and register usage."
2.2 Reference
-------------
o Motorola:
Programmers Reference Manual
[publisher?], 1992?. [ISBN?]
document number: M68000PM/AD
dke...@vnet.ibm.com (Doug Keller), 31 Mar 1993:
"If you want to know about the hardware get the 030 or 040 Users Manual
from Motorola. If you want to know about assembly language programming
get the Programmers Reference Manual. The Programmers Reference Manual
covers all the processors in the 68000 series."
Charles_P...@fcircus.sat.tx.us (Charles P Peterson), 8 Jan 95:
"This manual covers 68000-68040, 68881, 68882, 68851 (not 68060 yet).
There is no programmer's manual for the 68060 yet (as of December 1994)
just a `User's' manual. I just got [the Reference Manual], and it's a
very nicely bound large and thick softcover book. Obviously a bargain,
and a necessity for anyone doing this kind of work."
Thak...@Delphi.com (Kenneth L. Young), 15 Mar 95:
"The best source of information about instruction codes and timing
sequences for the Motorola family of microprocessors that I have found is
in a resource manual that Motorola publishes called M68000 Family
Programmer's Reference Manual. [...] My catalog currently lists the cost
at $3.70 plus shipping and handling. This is worth 500 times its weight
in gold. This book also contains reference material for the `MC68330 -
Integrated CPU32 Processor', `MC68340 - Integrated Processor with DMA',
`MC68851 - Paged Memory Management Unit', `MC68881 - Floating-Point
Coprocessor', and `MC68882 - Enhanced Floating-Point Coprocessor'."
stoe...@amigaworld.com (Dirk Stoecker), 8 Jan 2001:
"It is distributed as PDF and also sent for free if requested at Motorola
web pages. Also there are books for 68000, 68020, 68040 and 68060."
o Motorola:
MC68030 Users Manual
[publisher?], 1990. [ISBN?]
document number: MC68030UM/AD
Reid_...@a68k.denver.CO.US (Reid Bishop), 31 Mar 93:
"I think the best references are Motorola's own users manuals. I have the
68030 manual, and it is excellent."
3. C Programming
================
3.1 Learning C
--------------
o L. S. Foster:
C by Discovery [Cal State Long Beach]
Scott/Jones Inc., [year?]. ISBN 0-9624230-2-5
a...@qedbbs.com (Peter Dilley), 28 Jul 93:
"Do buy. [...] learn from a Phd, not a freakin graduate of Computer
Learning Center, or someone who read books like "Teach yourself... C".
It's about 3 1/2" and thick and emphasizes ANSI C."
o Dan Gookin:
C for Dummies Volume 1
IDG Books, 1994. ISBN 1-878058-78-9
Charles Patterson (mid...@azstarnet.com), 4 Oct 1997:
"The basics of ANSI C in an easy to read and understand format. Very
useful for the beginner."
o Al Kelly, Ira Pohl:
A Book on C (3rd edition)
Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Co. , 1995. ISBN 0-8053-1677-9
hey...@acad.stedwards.edu (Jerry Heyman), 30 Jun 1995:
"Another book that I would recommend (and in fact I teach from it) [...]
It is [...] written with a new programmer in mind, and takes each example
apart line by line."
o Brian W. Kernighan, Dennis M. Ritchie:
The C Programming Language (2nd edition)
Prentice Hall , 1988. ISBN 0-13-110362-8
about $35
German edition:
Brian W. Kernighan, Dennis M. Ritchie:
Programmieren in C
Hanser-Verlag, 1990. ISBN 3-446-15497-3
The classical introductory C book, written by the people who invented the
language!
b...@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"If you don't know C, buy this book NOW. Great C reference, eminently
readable. Wonderful wondeful book. If you do know C already, then you
probably already OWN this book. If you are learning C and trying to do it
with some lame SAMS/Que/MIS Press/M&T/Wiley/McGraw-Hill cheezy trade
paperback with a title like "Using Borland C++" or "C++ in 21 days" or
"Learning C" or "Using C" or "Learning C by Example" then you are doing
yourself a disservice. Get this book instead."
FU...@doomsday.shnet.org (Stephan Fuhrmann), 23 Jun 1995:
"This one is great, it's written by the authors of the C language and
covers ANSI and almost all C library functions."
o Stephen G. Kochan:
Programming in ANSI C (Revised Edition)
SAMS Publishing , 1994. ISBN 0-672-30339-6
$29.95
jbl...@bix.com (Jeff Blume), 16 Jun 1995:
"I have been getting a lot out of [this book]. I wish I had found it
years ago. I never would have gone near BASIC."
o Paul Perry and Stephen Potts:
Crash Course in C (2nd edition)
QUE, 1994. ISBN 1-56529-940-X
Charles Patterson (mid...@azstarnet.com), 4 Oct 1997:
"Quick introduction to ANSI C, but also contains a few MS-DOS specific
conventions."
o Herbert Schildt:
C - The Complete Reference (2nd edition)
Osborne McGraw-Hill , [year?]. ISBN 0-07-881538-X
$28.95
Matt...@mtask.omahug.org (Matt Hey), 22 May 93:
"The best book I have found for [learning C] is not Amiga specific, but
it does cover the entire ANSI standard (as well as Unix & some PC
stuff)."
o Herbert Schildt:
ANSI C Made Easy
[publisher?], [year?]. [ISBN?]
je...@zeus.surf.tach.net (Jeffery C. May), 29 Jun 1995:
"Unlike the other books I have seen offered, this one is FOR beginners."
dave...@umdsun2.umd.umich.edu (dave good), 3 Jul 1995:
"I would hesitate to recommend Schildt's books, I don't like the way he
presents things; I've seen a lot of things that would confuse a beginner,
but I don't think they're obvious."
o Charles Siegel:
Teach Yourself... C
MIS Press, [year?]. [ISBN?]
a...@qedbbs.com (Peter Dilley), 28 Jul 93:
"Do not buy. [The book] is not good. Only as a blurb term introduction.
The source code contained is extremely poor. Almost child-like. Besides
most of them won't compile without massive errors on the Amiga with its
ANSI C compilers."
o Mitchell Waite & Stephen Prata:
The Waite Group's New C Primer Plus
Waite Group Press , 1990. ISBN 0-672-22687-1
dave...@umdsun2.umd.umich.edu (dave good), 3 Jul 1995:
"In my opinion, the best book for an absolute C beginner is the `C Primer
Plus' [...]. Definitely the best beginner friendly book I have ever
seen."
o [author?]
JAMSA'S 1001 C/C++ Tips
[publisher?], [year?]. [ISBN?]
bec...@eng.auburn.edu (Wendell P. Beckwith), 24 Feb 1994:
"... the book is written for dos machines and comes with a source disk.
Approximately 85% of the source code can be used by your Amiga without
any modification. [...] Keep in mind that this book is not Amiga
specific, but having the ability to load and compile complete examples in
seconds is a real boon to the novice and mega-user, both young and old."
3.2 Reference
-------------
o Samuel P. Harbison & Guy L. Steele Jr.:
C: A Reference Manual (4th edition)
Prentice Hall , [year]. [ISBN?]
gr...@isgtec.com (Grant McDorman), 26 Jun 1995:
"I much prefer [this book] [over Kernighan and Ritchie's `The C
Programming Language']. It includes not only information on `traditional'
(pre-ANSI) implementations, but discusses portability and related issues.
The latest edition even discusses compatibility with C++. It *is* a
reference manual, though. (They did add exercises in the 3rd edition).
K&R's book, on the other hand, is a textbook. If you are just starting
out (especially if you don't have a lot of experience programming in
similar languages, such as Pascal), [K&R's book] will probably be a
better choice to *learn* the language. It is not as good as a reference.
[...] As a professional, experienced C (and C++) programmer, if I had to
buy just one book, I'd buy the Harbison & Steele book."
o Steve Oualline:
C Elements of Style
M&T Books, 1992. ISBN 1-55851-291-8
gr...@isgtec.com (Grant McDorman), 26 Jun 1995:
"Another very useful book is `C Elements of Style' by Oualline. This book
has many useful things to say about coding style that will improve the
readability, portability and reliability of your code. It also covers C++
coding style. Once you have learned the fundamentals of C or C++
programming, this is a good book to have."
o P. J. Plauger:
The Standard C Library
Prentice Hall , 1992. ISBN 0-13-131509-9
Ken.Rumsey%3633...@satlink.oau.org (Ken Rumsey), 14 Oct 1995:
"This book show you how to correctly use all of the library functions
mandated by ANSI and ISO Standards. Not only do they tell you how to use
it, but they show you with 9000 lines of tested, working, highly portable
code. If you program in ANSI C, you need this book!"
3.3 Amiga Specific
------------------
o Anders Bjerin:
The Amiga C Manual
This is an on-line document on using C on the Amiga. It is available from
Aminet ( dev/c/ACM.lha ) and on Fish Disks (691-695).
From the "readme file":
The complete boiled-down C manual for the Amiga which describes how to
open and work with Screens, Windows, Graphics, Gadgets, Requesters,
Alerts, Menus, IDCMP, Sprites, VSprites, AmigaDOS, Low Level Graphics
Routines, Hints and Tips, etc. The manual also explains how to use your C
Compiler and gives you important information about how the Amiga works
and how your programs should be designed. The manual consists of 15
chapters together with more than 100 fully executable examples with
source code.
bec...@eng.auburn.edu (Wendell P. Beckwith), 24 Feb 1994:
"This is a wealth of information, however, take note. [...] some of the
examples use things which are no longer thought of as good programming,
such as unprototyped functions. This is not really a strike against the
ACM, since when those portions of the manual were written, using such
oddities was the in-thing."
o Paul Overaa:
Mastering Amiga C
Bruce Smith Books, 1991. ISBN 1-873308-04-6
Charles Patterson (mid...@azstarnet.com), 4 Oct 1997:
"Takes you through ANSI C, then moves into Amiga specific C."
o Dirk Schaun:
Amiga C for Beginners
Abacus, 1989-90. ISBN 1-55755-045-X
a...@qedbbs.com (Peter Dilley), 28 Jul 1993:
"Do not buy. [The book] is just plain crap. Poor Code + Poor textual
information. It flies over 1/2 the needed information to do any good C
and even worse than that. It is ANCIENT, UNUPDATED. Disgusting! We are
programming in the 3.x 2.x rom era not 1.2/1.3..."
o [author?]
Amiga C for Advanced Programmers
Abacus, [year?]. ISBN 1-55755-046-8
D.J.M...@newcastle.ac.uk (Dave Miller), 20 Apr 1993:
"[...] it isn't worth the paper it's written on. (well it ain't quite
that bad but...)"
a...@qedbbs.com (Peter Dilley), 28 Jul 1993:
"Do not buy. [The book] is just plain crap. Poor Code + Poor textual
information. It flies over 1/2 the needed information to do any good C
and even worse than that. It is ANCIENT, UNUPDATED. Disgusting! We are
programming in the 3.x 2.x rom era not 1.2/1.3..."
4. C++ Programming
==================
4.1 Learning C++
----------------
o Anderson & Heinze:
C++ Programming and Fundamental Concepts
Prentice Hall , 1992. ISBN 0-13-118266-8
o Marshall Cline:
C++ FAQ
On-line document: http://www.cerfnet.com/~mpcline/C++-FAQs-Lite/
Book version:
Cline and Lomow:
C++ FAQs
Addison-Wesley , 1995. ISBN 0-201-58958-3.
Marshall Cline "cl...@parashift.com", 10 Jul 1996:
"The book version is extensively cross referenced, plus it has a huge
number of cross references to other standard C++ books. Plus it has lots
and lots and lots of code examples, almost all of which are full working
programs rather than just code fragments. It covers 470 topics in a
FAQ-like question-and- answer style. [...] [It] is 500% larger than the
on-line document."
o James O. Coplien:
Advanced C++; Programming Styles and Idioms
Addison-Wesley , 1993. ISBN 0-201-54855-0
b...@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"Great book on using C++ to solve real-world problems. Invaluable if you
are trying to write a graphics package in C++ and need to balance ease of
use, readability, "correctness", and efficiency."
pa...@kralizec.zeta.org.au (Paul Gittings), 28 Mar 1994:
"[...] not a beginner's book [...] This is a very well written book with
lots of examples. It covers more advanced concepts than just 'getting the
syntax right'. By discusing the various programming idioms available
under C++ and their pros and cons, Coplien shows the reader how to design
and build well written programs and avoid many of the problems that can
result from poor design. To get a feel for the areas covered by this book
here is a list of major chapter headings: 'Data Abstraction and Abstract
Data Types', 'Concrete Data Types', 'Inheritance', 'Object-Oriented
Programming', 'Object-Oriented Design', 'Reuse and Objects', 'Programming
with Exemplers in C++', 'Emulating Symbolic Language Styles in C++',
'Dynamic Multiple Inheritance', 'Systemic Issues'. Appendices: 'C in a
C++ Environment', 'Shapes Program: C++ Code', 'Reference Return Values
from Operators', 'Why Bitwise copy Doesn't Work', 'Symbolic Shapes',
'Block-Structured Programming in C++'."
o Bruce Eckel:
C++ Inside and Out
Osborne McGraw-Hill , 1993. ISBN 0-07-881809-5
96aa...@ultrix.uor.edu (By-Tor Blackwing), 23 Feb 1994:
"It's a good one; it tries to teach C++ like a new language, not just an
extension of C."
o Bruce Eckel:
Thinking in C++
Prentice Hall , ISBN 0-13-917709-4
al...@elan.com (Allan Anderson), 16 Dec 1997:
"[...] it's definitely meant to help C programmers learn C++...but it's
not just a C book with C++ stuff in the back. It's pretty thorough in its
attempt to teach object-oriented methods."
o Allen I. Holub:
C+ C++ (programming with objects in C and C++)
McGraw-Hill , 1992. ISBN 0-07-029662-6
$29.95
Hesham Amiri, 31 May 1995:
"This books assumes that you [know] C already [...] Well worth the
money."
o Stanley B. Lippman:
C++ Primer (2nd edition)
Addison-Wesley , 1991. ISBN 0-201-54848-8
$35-40
German edition:
Stanley B. Lippman:
C++, Einfuehrung und Leitfaden (2. Auflage)
Addison-Wesley (Deutschland) GmbH , 1991. ISBN 3-89319-375-8
DM 89
Intended as a first book on C++ programming. Some basic familiarity with
programming (in any language) is assumed, however. The book is a tutorial
through all the features of the C++ language. Many examples.
b...@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"Everything that goes for [Kernighan and Ritchie's] 'The C Programming
Language' above applies here also. I like this book a bit more than
Stroustrup's 'The C++ Programming Language', but to each his own."
pa...@kralizec.zeta.org.au (Paul Gittings), 28 Mar 1994:
"IMHO this is the best C++ tutorial book around, nothing else comes even
close."
Hesham Amiri, 31 May 1995:
"This is *THE* book about C++ and OOP in general, but it is not an easy a
book to follow as [Holub's `C+ C++'], but still a must-have in my
opinion."
o Greg Perry:
Moving from C to C++
SAMS Publishing , 1992. ISBN 0-672-30080-X
$29.95
gn...@martinac.demon.co.uk (John Marchant), 10 Aug 1995:
"This book is not specifically for the Amiga, but I find this doesn't
matter at all. It assumes you have a reasonable working knowledge of C.
[...] I'm by no means a C expert, but I find it very lucid & easy to
follow, and it's written in a friendly way. There are plentiful examples
for each topic, showing how a task would be coded in C and then in C++
and explaining the differences. Layout and arrangement of topics are very
good."
o Stephen Prata:
C++ Primer Plus (2nd edition)
Waite Group Press , 1995. ISBN 1-878739-74-3
$32.95
o Herbert Schildt:
Teach Yourself C++
Addison-Wesley , [year?]. ISBN 0-07-881760-9
hem...@hemmer.adsp.sub.org (Franz Hemmer), 23 Sep 93:
"If you're a C programmer already, I recommend "Teach Yourself C++"
[...]. It requires some familiarity with C, and takes advantage of that
very fact. I found it very easy to go through the book. However, if you
want information about templates too, you need to find another book, as
this isn't covered in this particular book."
o Al Stevens:
Teach Yourself C++... (3rd Edition)
MIS Press, 1993. ISBN 1-55828-250-5
o Bjarne Stroustrup:
The C++ Programming Language (2nd edition)
Addison-Wesley , 1991. ISBN 0-201-53992-6
German edition:
Bjarne Stroustrup:
Die C++ Programmiersprache
Addison-Wesley (Deutschland) GmbH , 1992. ISBN 3-89319-386-3
DM 89.90
jpeacock@runner (Jason Lee Peacock), 24 Jun 1995:
[responding to a comment by someone who wished there was an equivalent to
Kernighan and Ritchie for C++]
"I thought that `The C++ Programming Language, 2nd Ed.' [...] fit the
bill. After all, Stroustrup is the guy who created the C++ language. The
book seems to cover everything including templates and exception
handling. It gave me enough information and was clear enough for me to
pass a class last semester. And it was definitely a lot better than the
trash my professor recommended (`On To C++' by Winston)."
o Tom Swan:
Mastering Borland C++ 4.5 (2nd edition)
SAMS Publishing , 1994. 0-672-30546-1
$49.95
hac...@bu.edu (Jose Elias), 24 Sep 1993:
"I TRULY REALLY recommend from the botton of my heart "Mastering Borland
C++" [...]. It's just AWESOME, even when it's meant to be used on IBMs.
It has COMPLETE working examples for EVERY function provided by C/C++ at
the end of the book, and he explains everything VERY well. The book is
over 1,300 pages, and about 1/3 of them are USEFULL examples at the end
of the book. Also, there's a course on learning C on the first few
chapters, and then C++ is introduced. This is a real-world-use book. I
HIGHLY recommend it. BTW, I spend one WHOLE day looking thru every single
C++ book here at the bookstore before deciding on buying it. Also, don't
be scared by the ibm-nature of the book, almost everything in the book is
standard C++, he only touches ibm-specific stuff when talking about video
memory, ram, and the bios, other than that it's standard C++."
o Taligent:
The Power Of Frameworks
Addison-Wesley, 1995. ISBN 0-201-48348-3
(CD-ROM includes frameworks for use with Windows and OS/2.)
From the book cover:
"Recent activity in object technology has extended beyond class libraries
to focus on frameworks. Frameworks represents the next level of
abstraction in programming and offer proof of the promise of reuse and
increased productivity. [...] However frameworks can be used to solve
virtually any design problem if programmers understand exactly what
frameworks are and how to use them."
i0...@Informatik.Uni-Bremen.DE (Kai Hofmann), 12 Oct 1996 (paraphrased):
"OpenDoc and CORBA work with frameworks, as does all of Taligent's
software. Frameworks is the direction software design is going in, and if
the Amiga is to survive, we [the developers] will not be able to ignore
it."
o Mark Terribile:
Practical C++
McGraw-Hill , 1994. ISBN 0-07-063738-5
4.2 Reference
-------------
o Margaret A. Ellis, Bjarne Stroustrup:
The Annotated C++ Reference Manual (2nd edition)
Addison-Wesley , 1992. ISBN 0-201-51459-1
pa...@kralizec.zeta.org.au (Paul Gittings), 28 Mar 1994:
"A must have for anybody who is involved in any major C++ work. In the
annotations provide some useful insights into the language and its
design."
5. ARexx Programming
====================
5.1 Learning ARexx
------------------
o Merrill Callaway:
The ARexx Cookbook
Whitestone, 1992. ISBN 0-9632733-0-8
Optional Companion Disk: ISBN 0-9632773-1-6
A very good introduction to ARexx. The book uses examples to introduce
the features of this programing language. The examples are often very
useful themselves. This book is not a reference manual, but a tutorial. I
would say it is very well suited for beginners but also for more advanced
programmers.
rby...@3dform.edex.edu.au (Robert Byrne):
"This book makes heavy reference to William S. Hawes Arexx and the
Commodore Manual (Part No. 363313-05) and first time users are advised to
have one of these handy, preferably Hawes."
o Commodore Business Machines:
The Programmers Guide to ARexx
Commodore, 1991.
CATS part number: AREXX01, disk: AREXX01D
$20.00
Manual (228 pages) and disk designed to allow you easy access to the
power of ARexx. Includes information on how to make effective use of
ARexx, how to conform to development standards and how to interface
applicatations to the ARexx environment.
lue...@erls02.siemens.de (Reinhard Luebke), 7 Oct 1993:
"This book covers all topics regarding 'how to program for ARexx in C',
e.g. creating libraries and function hosts. Worth to say, that all
examples in the book can be found on a disk that comes bundled with the
book."
o Michael Metz et al.:
ARexx - Eine Einfuehrung und mehr
Compustore Handelsgesellschaft fuer EDV & Werbung, 1994. ISBN
3-930733-00-5
535 pages, DM 89.00
(Written in German)
This book is divided into three the parts: the first covers the basics of
ARexx (variables, operators, the instructions, etc., organized both
alphabetically and by topic) and the ARexx environment. The second covers
three common ARexx function libraries (RexxArpLib, APIG, and
RexxSerDev.library), the third "hosts": the RexxPlus compiler, ExecRexx,
writing ARexx scripts for application programs. A disk with all examples
and libraries may be purchased separately for an additional DM 10.
hum...@TOMATE.TNG.OCHE.DE (Andreas Mixich), 26 Jan 1996:
"All in all I must say this book is extremely useful. [...] It is perfect
for beginners (well, you should have used your Amiga for some months...)
and a nice reference for advanced. Of special interest are the parts II
and III, which may not be found described like that anywhere else."
o Paul Overaa:
Mastering Amiga Arexx
Bruce Smith Books, 1993. ISBN 1-873308-13-2
ARexx programming, with information on adding an ARexx port to your
program.
gn...@martinac.demon.co.uk (John Marchant), 15 May 1995:
"Paul Overaa's book is excellent, but more of a tutorial."
o Chris Zamara and Nick Sullivan:
Using ARexx on the Amiga
Abacus, 1991. ISBN 1-55755-114-6.
bar...@cs.umass.edu (Dan Barrett), 24 Mar 1994:
"This is a good book with a particularly good function reference section.
It also gives examples of ARexx programming with some commercial
products. The only bad part of the book is its terrible index."
pa...@kralizec.zeta.org.au (Paul Gittings), 28 Mar 1994:
"This is the only Abacus book that I have found to be of any use, I
almost didn't buy it because it was an Abacus book but I'm very glad I
did. This book is very well suited to a beginner ARexx programmer (more
so than Callaway's book) and also very useful as a reference for more
advanced users. The example code is very trivial and therefore easy to
understand, for more complex and useful code examples get Callaway's
book."
gn...@martinac.demon.co.uk (John Marchant), 15 May 1995:
"I recommend the Abacus book for easy look-up of functions etc."
ande...@delphi.com (Stanley Anderson), 30 Jun 1995:
"[This book] has proven invaluable to me in jamming together some Arexx
macros for FinalWriter."
5.2 Reference
-------------
o Robin Evans:
ARexxGuide 2.0a
1994. (no ISBN, published via shareware)
$15 (suggested shareware fee)
This is a complete ARexx reference guide in AmigaGuide format. It is
available from Aminet ( util/rexx/ARexxGuide2_0A.lha ).
From the "readme file":
ARexxGuide is a complete ARexx reference with tutorials and dozens of
ready-to-use examples. Done in AmigaGuide format, it includes argument
templates and descriptions of all instruction keywords, of built-in
functions, and of the functions in rexxsupport.library. The basic
elements of the language are fully explained. Example programs -- some of
them interactive -- answer frequently-asked questions about the language.
Sample clauses are included with each function and instruction
explanation. Error codes and possible solutions are explained.
A help-system that will turn nearly any text editor into an online
reference to ARexx is included. Working macros for three editors are
provided as examples. A step-by-step tutorial explains the simple steps
for making a new macro for a different editor.
o William S. Hawes:
Arexx User's Reference Manual
[publisher?], 1987. [ISBN?]
$49.95
6. Applications Programming
===========================
6.1 Compilers
-------------
o Alfred V. Aho, Ravi Sethi, and Jeffrey D. Ullman:
Compilers, Principles, Tools, and Techniques
Addison Wesley, 1986. ISBN 0-201-10194-7 (paperback)
jew...@savanna.royle.org (Paul Jewell), 9 Mar 1994:
"Plenty of information about different methods of compiler construction,
and how to put compilers together. Designed as a first course in compiler
writing."
o Allen I. Holub:
Compiler Design in C
Prentice Hall , 1990. ISBN 0-13-155151-5 (paperback)
jew...@savanna.royle.org (Paul Jewell), 9 Mar 1994:
"Excellent (IMHO) book containing detailed source code of a C compiler,
with hints and tips on how to optimise the compiler both in terms of
operation, and efficiency of code generated. [...] well worth the
investment."
o Niklaus Wirth, Joerg Gutknecht:
Project Oberon.
The Design of an Operating System and Compiler.
Addison-Wesley , 1992. ISBN 0-201-54428-8 (hardback)
f...@wossname.apana.org.au (Frank Copeland), 12 Mar 1994:
"I paid AUS 44.95, a good price for this class of book here. It describes
in detail the design and implementation of an entire operating system and
includes the complete source code of a compiler for the Oberon language
(a descendant of Pascal and Modula-2). The code generated is for a family
of processors reasonably similar to the Amiga's MC68K processors. Even if
you are not interested in the language, it provides an example of a
working compiler, which the Aho, etc. book at least does not."
o Patrick D. Terry:
Programming Language Translation
Addison-Wesley , 1986. ISBN 0-201-18040-5. 433 pages
6.2 Computer Graphics
---------------------
[for a more complete list, see the comp.graphics FAQ ]
o Leendert Ammeraal:
Programming Principles in Computer Graphics (2nd edition)
[publisher?], [year?]. [ISBN?]
na...@netcom.com (Nathan Dwyer), 10 Oct 1993:
"A REALLY cool book. [...] It sort of skims over the math -- moves pretty
quickly through the material, but covers a lot of ground. Also includes a
lot of C++ code, but the text isn't occluded by it."
o J. D. Foley, A. van Dam, S. K. Feiner, and J. F. Hughes:
Computer Graphics - Principles and Practice
Addison-Wesley , 1990. ISBN 0-201-12110-7
sti...@lise.unit.no (Stig Ove Johnsen), 20 Aug 1993:
"It is the book we use in the course 'Computer Graphics I&II' here at the
Norwegian Institute of Technology. It goes into depth in describing both
2D raster graphics and 3D modeling (e.g. splines) and raytracing (incl.
phong, gourad...). The programming eksamples are done mostly in Pascal.
IMHO, it is a very good book. (And lots of nice ray-traced pictures!)"
umki...@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Brian D. King), 10 Oct 1993:
"The proclaimed bible in computer graphics algorithms and theory [...].
It covers everything from line-drawing, circles and ellipses, pattern-
filling, 2d and 3d vectors including transformations, filled polygons,
shading, etc. etc. etc."
b...@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"This is IT. THE bible of computer graphics, period. It covers just about
every topic you need to know, however because of its scope it is very
generalized and so information on any one specific topic may be lacking.
Pascal-like pseudo code is strewn liberally throughout the book, which is
a big help. Everything you would expect in three-D graphics is covered,
including shading, ray tracing, radiosity, texture mapping, etc. Once
again, it's very generalized and serves mostly as a good reference to
other material and an overview of individual areas. But at over 1000
pages, it's a must have if you do graphics. If you can afford only ONE
book on graphics, get this one."
o Andrew Glassner (ed.):
Graphics Gems
Academic Press, 1990. ISBN 0-12-286165-5
James Arvo (ed.):
Graphics Gems II
Academic Press, 1991. ISBN 0-12-64480-0
David Kirk (ed.):
Graphics Gems III
Academic Press, 1992. ISBN 0-12-409670-0 (with IBM disk)
0-12-409671-9 (with Mac disk)
rh...@pinn.nacjack.gen.nz (Robert Hooker), 20 Aug 1993:
"These aren't much good to learn from, but once you know your stuff they
are an excellent source of ideas."
b...@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"Some people swear by these books. I don't know. They cover a lot of
little tricks and tips for a lot of little things, but personally I
haven't found much use for them, but I'm looking only at the interactive
3d side of things. Every now and then a friend tells me 'Wow, this one
little paragraph in Gems [X] gave me a huge insight into what I needed to
do and now my [program] is MUCH faster'. So to be fair, a lot of others
have found these books to be invaluable. They cover a bit too much ground
for me, so I'm still kind of hesitant on recommending them to others
since it's not readily apparent if they will be helpful to you. Your
mileage may vary."
o F. S. Hill Jr.:
Computer Graphics
Macmillan, [year?]. [ISBN?]
rh...@pinn.nacjack.gen.nz (Robert Hooker), 20 Aug 1993:
"I can recommend "Computer Graphics" [...]. This was a text for my 3rd
year Graphics course at University. All the ideas and examples are given
in Pascal (which most everyone can understand) and are easy to convert to
your prefered language. The book covers everything from simple 3D shapes
thru Gouraud/Phong shading and onto the basics of RayTracing."
o Christopher Lampton:
Flights of Fantasy
Waite Group Press , 1993. ISBN 1-878739-18-2
Richard...@eaglesnest.albedo.com (Richard Johnson), 6 Oct 1993:
"It's very complete and it comes with source code written in C++ for the
IBM PC. I didn't have much trouble converting it to SAS/C. You do have to
transfer files from the IBM disk to an amiga disk, though. The book comes
with the disk. The book is really GREAT because it's very thorough and
easy to understand. It teaches you from the ground up. One thing though,
is that the source code had a number of minor bugs which I had to fix.
Also, I optimized some of the code to make it faster. For one thing, I
replaced the 4x4 matrices with 3x3 ones. [...] It's so easy to
understand, that if you can't understand it, you have no other recourse
than to learn more math."
b...@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"This book is a mixed blessing. On the one hand it gets you up and
running with the simple concepts that more advanced text books don't
bother explaining. On the other, it could REALLY stand to be improved.
Lots of simple algorithms are completely ignored, such as shading.
However, a lot of PC specific stuff is thrown in. If you would like a
more comprehensive review of the book let me know and I'll mail you one."
o David F. Rogers and J. Alan Adams:
Mathematical Elements for Computer Graphics 2nd Ed.
McGraw-Hill , 1990. ISBN 0-07-053530-2
b...@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"Excellent book on curves, patches, and a lot of math. Does not cover
rendering at all -- no shading, etc. It does a lot of theory on
projections, however -- don't expect much on object databases or
efficiency, though. Not a great reference to a 3d renderer, but for
modeling in general and math it's wonderful. HOWEVER, it has an insane
amount of stuff on curves, splines, Bezier curves, Coons patches,
surfaces, etc. So if you want to do surfaces and things with soft edges
in general, get this book. One of the few McGraw-Hill books I've liked
(the other is 'An Introduction to Algorithms')."
o Alan Watt:
3-D Computer Graphics 2nd Ed.
Addison-Wesley , 1993. ISBN 0-201-63186-5
b...@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"This is also one of those classic texts. The new second edition covers a
lot of ground. Watt's style is highly readable, and the same code is in
Pascal. A complete rendering system (or two) is supplied in the
appendices, along with the data file for the Utah teapot.
"If you do 3d graphics, you MUST have this book. [...] Chapters include:
Three-dimensional Geometry in Computer Graphics, Representation of
Objects, Viewing systems, Reflection and Illumination Models, Rendering
Algorithms, Parametric Representation and Practice, Shadows and Textures,
Ray Tracing, Volume Rendering, Radiosity, Anti aliasing, Functionally
Based Modeling Methods, Three-dimensional Computer Animation, Colour
Spaces and Monitor Considerations, Viewing Transformation from a Simple
Four-Parameter Viewing System, A Wireframe System, An Implementation of a
Renderer, The Utah Teapot.
"The book has a fairly decent mix of interactive and photorealistic
stuff, and it is an excellent supplement to the 3d graphics section of
Foley and Van Dam. Between the two you are pretty well set for 3d
graphics."
o Alan Watt and Mark Watt:
Advanced Animation and Rendering Techniques
Addison-Wesley , 1993. ISBN 0-201-54412-1
b...@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Hook), 06 Dec 1993:
"This book is by far one of the best books in the field of 3d graphics.
Most of it covers rendering and ray tracing, which means it is not very
useful for real-time graphics [...] the stuff it covers is invaluable and
very difficult to find elsewhere. We are talking heavy rendering and ray
tracing stuff, volume rendering techniques, shading languages,
quaternions and Euler angles, radiosity, inverse/forward kinematics, etc.
Excellent book, but not very useful if you are looking to write only a
game (although the chapters on segmented object animation would be useful
for robots/tanks)."
o Andrew Tyler:
Amiga Real-Time 3D Graphics
Sigma Press (UK), [year?]. ISBN 781850 582755
o...@ozzy.demon.co.uk (Brian Skreeg), 22 Jun 1995:
"I've had this book for a while and it's not worth the purchase. The
example code is poor and would not run on my 030 A1200 no matter what I
did. It also uses obscure algorithms for the simplest of calculations.
Get the HowToCode package [from Aminet]. It has a much better explanation
of 3d vectors and stuff. The book is punted as an easy way to learn
assembly while learning 3d graphics. Not true. If you have had no
experience with assembly before, then you've got little chance of
learning it from this book. The book is divided into sections for each
area of 3d graphics. Line drawing, filling, window clipping, perpective,
rotations, depth sorting, etc. [...]"
o [author?]
Amiga 3D Graphic Programming
Abacus, [year?]. [ISBN?]
Richard...@eaglesnest.albedo.com (Richard Johnson), 6 Oct 1993:
"DO NOT get [this book]. The guy who wrote it should be whipped because
this book is impossible to understand and is really just a documentation
for the crummy little ray tracing program which takes up half of the
pages."
6.2 User Interfaces
-------------------
o William Horton:
The Icon Book
Visual Symbols for Computer Systems and Documentation
Wiley, 1994. ISBN 0-471-59901-8
US$ 39.95
i0...@Informatik.Uni-Bremen.DE (Kai Hofmann), 12 Oct 1996:
"Buy the original one, because the German translation is a bad one."
7. Using Applications
=====================
7.1 The Video Toaster
---------------------
o David Tiberio:
Amiga/Toaster Reference Manual
Area52 , 1994. (published by Area52, no ISBN)
$34.95
see section 1.3: General Reference
7.2 Telecommunications
----------------------
o Karl Jeacle:
First Steps Amiga Surfin'
Bookmark Publishing Ltd , 1996, ISBN 1-85550-007-8
6.99 UKP, 128 pages
Karl Jeacle "ka...@jeacle.ie", 9 Jun 1996:
"This book is a beginner's guide to getting connected to the Internet. It
aims to be as Amiga specific as possible, and details basic hardware and
software requirements to get your Amiga wired up. Topics covered include:
buying and configuring a modem, installing AmiTCP and PPP step-by-step,
choosing an Internet Service Provider, netiquete and FAQs, running the
right software: 15 of the best Amiga Internet applications reviewed,
creating a web page, a HTML tutorial, guide to Usenet news, ISDN
explained, and the future of the Internet."
o Dale L. Larson:
Connect Your Amiga! (revised 2nd printing)
A Guide to the Internet, LANs, BBSs and Online Services
Intangible Assets Manufacturing , 1996. ISBN 1-885876-02-5
"Dale L. Larson" da...@iam.iam.com, 18 Sep 1994:
"Connect Your Amiga!" is 256 pages packed with information for networking
and for going online. From background information for the novice to
networking hints and tips for advanced users, this book has something for
every Amiga owner. [...] Topics covered include: What [the Internet] is,
what's so great about it, how it works, how to access it, how to join it,
how to use it; [...] Selecting and using modems and terminal emulator
software; how to find and choose computer bulletin board systems and
online services; finding, downloading, decompressing and using public
domain and shareware software, the SANA-II standard, Ethernet, ARCNet,
serial and parallel ports, selecting, configuring and using TCP/IP, SLIP,
PPP, Envoy, DECNet, connecting to PCs, Macs and Unix, and more."
7.3 Music
---------
o Paul Overaa:
Making the Most of Midi
Bookmark Publishing Ltd , 1996, ISBN 1-85550-006-X
14.95 UKP
Bookmark Publishing, 10 May 1996:
"Although Making the Most of Midi explains the fundamentals of Midi and
Midi sequencing for the beginner, it goes much further, dealing with
issues that will be of help to more established users. [...] Paul has
produced a book which looks at various Midi technical issues but explains
them in terms that all Midi users will be able to understand. He has also
examined some of the more complex issues, including details about fault
finding and how Midi oriented computer programs are written."
ST Format, April 1996:
"... there is a great deal to be learned from this book, whatever your
level of experience ... an indispensable manual for the technical side of
Midi."
Amiga User International, June 1996:
"Thanks to his years in the business, Overaa knows the questions people
ask, and he gives us the answers ... If you're into Midi you should get
this book."
CU Amiga, June 1996:
"I was pleasantly surprised when the expected confrontation with highly
technical MIDI matters was detailed and explained in relatively plain
English."
Appendix A: Ordering Information
================================
Area52
------
Area52
6 Lodge Lane
East Setauket, NY 11733
USA
Ralph Babel's Amiga Guru Book
-----------------------------
In the past, you could have purchased the book through:
Stefan Ossowskis Schatztruhe
Gesellschaft fuer Software mbH
Veronikastrasse 33
D-45131 Essen
Germany
Voice: +49 (201) 788778
Fax: +49 (201) 798447
E-Mail: ste...@tchest.e.eunet.de
rona...@altavista.com (Ronald van Dijk), 08 Jan 2001:
"It is no longer available from Schatztruhe. I guess it is also no longer
available from the other stores in the list, but I have not verified this."
Bookmark Publishing
-------------------
Bookmark Publishing Ltd
The Old School
Greenfield MK45 5DE
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 1525 713671
Fax: +44 1525 713716
CATS
----
As of April 28th, 1994, CATS USA no longer exists. But you can still order
developer material from Hirsch & Wolf in Germany:
Hirsch & Wolf oHG
Attn: Hans-Helmut Hirsch
Mittelstr. 33
D-56564 Neuwied
Germany
Fax: ++49-2631-839931
Tel: ++49-2631-83990
UUCP:hhhi...@carla.adsp.sub.org (Fax preferred)
Compute Books
-------------
Sheldon Leemon "sle...@earthlink.net", 18 Jun 1996:
"[...] as Compute books has been out of business for a while, most books are
available only from the authors. I still have about a hundred copies of my
AmigaDOS Reference Guide, 4th edition, which covers all AmigaDOS versions up
to 3.x. Those interested in purchasing the book can write to me directly:
Sheldon Leemon
26515 Hendrie Blvd.
Huntington Woods, MI 48070
The price for the book is $15, postpaid in the U.S. If you are outside the
U.S., inquire to `ac...@detroit.freenet.org' for rates including foreign
shipping."
Intangible Assets Manufacturing
-------------------------------
Intangible Assets Manufacturing
828 Ormond Avenue
Drexel Hill, PA 19026-2604
USA
voice: +1 610 853 4406
fax: +1 610 853 3733
WWW: http://www.iam.com
e-mail: in...@iam.com
Motorola
--------
You can download most Motorola documents as pdf files at the Motorola Design
Center:
http://e-www.motorola.com/webapp/DesignCenter
Click on the "Order Documentation" link to get the the Literature
Distribution Center, which lets you order printed materials.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marc Atkin //
U of Massachusetts // " Goosnargh. "
at Amherst \\ //
at...@cs.umass.edu \X/