NewIcons
Encyclopedia
NewIcons is a third-party extension to the icon
handling system for AmigaOS
2 and newer. NewIcons was first invented and developed by the Italian
programmer Nicola Salmoria
. Subsequent development was done by Eric Sauvageau.
had been revolutionary when it was first launched in the early 1980s, other operating systems such as Mac OS
and Microsoft Windows
quickly caught on and started to become more professional-looking. Standard AmigaOS Workbench icons were plain and uninteresting: limited to four colours, having no standard size, and viewed from a straight-on perspective that left them looking two-dimensional.
The aim of NewIcons is to solve all these faults. Unlike a standard Workbench icon, which only includes palette index information and is thus at the mercy of the user's chosen Workbench palette, NewIcons icons are natively drawn in 32 colours (5-bit colour) and hold the actual RGB colour information in the icon file. A memory-resident program (called a Commodity in Amiga terminology) tries its best to adapt the icon's colours into the current Workbench screen palette. Up to 256 colour icons are supported by NewIcons system.
s, similar to those of Mac OS and Windows. The design guidelines recommend icons to be drawn at a more diagonal perspective, thus creating the illusion of three dimensions. The guidelines also strongly encourage the use of Workbench's "image" highlights, where a selected image changes its actual shape when clicked, instead of simply inverting its colours or becoming a darker shade. For example, a computer terminal
could have its screen powered up, a pen
could write letters on paper, or a robot
symbolising a computer game could move around.
NewIcons are relatively large in file size compared to conventional Amiga icons or MagicWB
icons. NewIcons are stored in 8-bit data even when only few colours were used. Image data was encoded in ASCII
to application metadata consuming even more space for an icon.
, but ultimately more accurate; a PNG image file with a .JPG extension will appear with a PNG-specific icon.
GlowIcons=
The Glowicons format, based on NewIcons file format, is the native icon
format used in AmigaOS 3.5, 3.9 and 4.0 by Matt Chaput. The major difference to NewIcons is how image data is stored. NewIcons used inefficient ASCII encoding embedded to the application metadata. In GlowIcons system developers extended internal icon definition without need to abuse metadata. The standard icon size is 46×46 pixel
s with maximum 256 (8-bit
) colors and two image states (example: open and closed drawers). The second image state uses a glow effect to indicate that the icon is pressed.
Whereas NewIcons remained only a third-party expension throughout the Commodore
ownership of AmigaOS, it was integrated as part of the Glowicons scheme of AmigaOS 3.5, 3.9, 4.0 and 4.1.
Icon (computing)
A computer icon is a pictogram displayed on a computer screen and used to navigate a computer system or mobile device. The icon itself is a small picture or symbol serving as a quick, intuitive representation of a software tool, function or a data file accessible on the system. It functions as an...
handling system for AmigaOS
AmigaOS
AmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. It was developed first by Commodore International, and initially introduced in 1985 with the Amiga 1000...
2 and newer. NewIcons was first invented and developed by the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
programmer Nicola Salmoria
Nicola Salmoria
Nicola Salmoria is an Italian software developer. He is the original developer of MAME, an emulator application designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software...
. Subsequent development was done by Eric Sauvageau.
History
The need for NewIcons arose from the poor overall quality of icons in AmigaOS versions prior to 3.0. While the AmigaOS GUIGraphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
had been revolutionary when it was first launched in the early 1980s, other operating systems such as Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
quickly caught on and started to become more professional-looking. Standard AmigaOS Workbench icons were plain and uninteresting: limited to four colours, having no standard size, and viewed from a straight-on perspective that left them looking two-dimensional.
The aim of NewIcons is to solve all these faults. Unlike a standard Workbench icon, which only includes palette index information and is thus at the mercy of the user's chosen Workbench palette, NewIcons icons are natively drawn in 32 colours (5-bit colour) and hold the actual RGB colour information in the icon file. A memory-resident program (called a Commodity in Amiga terminology) tries its best to adapt the icon's colours into the current Workbench screen palette. Up to 256 colour icons are supported by NewIcons system.
Features
NewIcons also establishes a standard icon size of 36×40 pixelPixel
In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled....
s, similar to those of Mac OS and Windows. The design guidelines recommend icons to be drawn at a more diagonal perspective, thus creating the illusion of three dimensions. The guidelines also strongly encourage the use of Workbench's "image" highlights, where a selected image changes its actual shape when clicked, instead of simply inverting its colours or becoming a darker shade. For example, a computer terminal
Computer terminal
A computer terminal is an electronic or electromechanical hardware device that is used for entering data into, and displaying data from, a computer or a computing system...
could have its screen powered up, a pen
Pen
A pen is a device used to apply ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Historically, reed pens, quill pens, and dip pens were used, with a nib of some sort to be dipped in the ink. Ruling pens allow precise adjustment of line width, and still find a few specialized uses, but...
could write letters on paper, or a robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
symbolising a computer game could move around.
NewIcons are relatively large in file size compared to conventional Amiga icons or MagicWB
MagicWB
MagicWB is a third-party Workbench enhancer for AmigaOS. It was developed in 1992-1997 by Martin Huttenloher.-History:The idea to enhance Workbench arose when the author got bored to the gray and abstract icons provided by Commodore. The original Amiga icons could use only four colours and even...
icons. NewIcons are stored in 8-bit data even when only few colours were used. Image data was encoded in ASCII
ASCII
The American Standard Code for Information Interchange is a character-encoding scheme based on the ordering of the English alphabet. ASCII codes represent text in computers, communications equipment, and other devices that use text...
to application metadata consuming even more space for an icon.
DefIcons
NewIcons also includes DefIcons, a package of ready-made icons which aims to provide a default icon image for all files that do not have their own associated icons (provided as.info files in AmigaOS). DefIcons uses a scheme that actually examines the file's contents instead of simply looking at the filename extension to determine the file type. This approach is slower than the file extension system used by Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, but ultimately more accurate; a PNG image file with a .JPG extension will appear with a PNG-specific icon.
GlowIcons=
The Glowicons format, based on NewIcons file format, is the native icon
Icon (computing)
A computer icon is a pictogram displayed on a computer screen and used to navigate a computer system or mobile device. The icon itself is a small picture or symbol serving as a quick, intuitive representation of a software tool, function or a data file accessible on the system. It functions as an...
format used in AmigaOS 3.5, 3.9 and 4.0 by Matt Chaput. The major difference to NewIcons is how image data is stored. NewIcons used inefficient ASCII encoding embedded to the application metadata. In GlowIcons system developers extended internal icon definition without need to abuse metadata. The standard icon size is 46×46 pixel
Pixel
In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled....
s with maximum 256 (8-bit
8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
) colors and two image states (example: open and closed drawers). The second image state uses a glow effect to indicate that the icon is pressed.
Whereas NewIcons remained only a third-party expension throughout the Commodore
Commodore International
Commodore is the commonly used name for Commodore Business Machines , the U.S.-based home computer manufacturer and electronics manufacturer headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which also housed Commodore's corporate parent company, Commodore International Limited...
ownership of AmigaOS, it was integrated as part of the Glowicons scheme of AmigaOS 3.5, 3.9, 4.0 and 4.1.