Here you can find the differences between old Picasso96 releases

• November 96: first public release
• December 96: fixed install script, added drivers for ADPro, PhotoGenics and XiPaint
• January 97: integrated CyberVision 64 and Piccolo SD64
• Version 1.5, January 20th 97:
  • BltMaskBitMapRastPort() in Hi- and TrueColor works now,
  • mouse sprite should be correct now,
  • CyberVision 64 driver should work a bit better,
  • Spectrum memory size recognition should work,
  • Cirrus 542x sprite offset problem in HiColor should be fixed,
  • Picasso96API enhanced,
  • support for vilintuisup.library enhanced,
  • maybe even more... :-)
• Version 1.6, January 28th 97:
  • Merlin finds modes again (stupid cut'n'paste bug...),
  • Merlin panning fixed,
  • planar modes work again,
  • mouse sprite in planar modes shows up again,
  • screen bitmaps enter board immediately when allocated, this results in screens opening faster,
  • internal handling of bitmaps simplified, which will lead to even more flexibility,
  • workaround for Workbench "Show by Name" problem in Hi- and TrueColor, not entirely perfect, though,
  • soft sprite smearing on Village and Picasso96API screens fixed.
• Version 1.7, February 3rd 97:
  • Nasty bug in memory allocation fixed, big screens open again...
  • PicassoII interlace mouse pointer,
  • scroll down using mask should work as expected on the Merlin, now,
  • Merlin sprite position bugs fixed,
  • some CyberVision driver bugs fixed,
  • Installer script enhanced, gives more warnings at startup,
  • defective 3.0 support removed,
  • PicassoIV template blits finally correct...
  • small hack tool for PicassoIV FlickerFixer display refresh rates
• Version 1.8, February 11th 97:
  • transparent blits improved:
    • WWW browsers render images correctly,
    • NewIcons work better,
    • transparent chunky2chunky blit speed increased,
  • ObtainBestPen patched to overcome problem with ECS Amigas,
  • add new monitor tooltypes:
    • "NoPlanar2ChunkyBlits=Yes" uses CPU conversion routine, might be faster on high-powered Amigas,
    • "NoBlitter=Yes" will disable the blitter entirely, only useful for debugging purposes.
  • DisplayInfo values for RedBits etc. now correct for each mode,
  • potential division by zero problem in CyberGraphX emulation fixed,
  • ShapeShifter driver works better, memoryless screen bug fixed,
  • fixed screen open bug causing scrambled display on other screens on the Cirrus 542x based boards,
  • handling of hardware sprite on interlace screens improved for Cirrus boards, Cirrus chips seem to have a problem with hardware sprites on doublescan modes, though.
  • Merlin blit bug removed,
  • SD64 improved, but still alpha.
• Version 1.9:
  • Skipped because I released the 1.8 version to Aminet as 1.9 by error.
• Version 1.10, February 17th 97:
  • fixed bug causing scrambled displays when a chunky screen with less than 256 colors was removed from the card,
  • removed bugs that prevented e.g. CyberGrab to function with HiColor screens, there are still some problems left,
  • fixed software mouse sprite trashing on Picasso96API screens, e.g. FliP96,
  • hardware clocks and other restrictions checked better now,
  • included workaround for stupid programs who think they'll get a planar one plane BitMap if they pass in a chunky bitmap as friend_bitmap to AllocBitMap()! Even more, they set the BMF_DISPLAYABLE, too, which is only needed for Screen->RastPort.BitMap's or RasInfo->BitMap's. Those programmers obviously did never read the autodocs. Sometimes I could really get mad... This includes programs like WordWorth, TrapFaxView and others. This workaround prevents those bugs but it is still not the way we would like it... In other words, I strongly discourage such incorrect use of system functions...
• Version 1.11, February 24th 97:
  • fixed severe bug in SetRast(),
  • undocumented BltMaskBitMapRastPort() feature implemented, JEyes now works as expected on chunky screens,
  • added first version of fastlayers.library which improves window handling performance,
  • added color expansion for ZorroII PicassoIV's, speeds up e.g. Text() significantly,
  • fixed wide fills with Cirrus GD542x in TrueColor,
  • CyberGraphX emulation: DoCDrawMethodTagList() message fixed to work as expected and not as documented in CyberGraphX autodocs...
• Version 1.12, March 3rd 97:
  • enhanced window handling performance in Hi- and TrueColor modes,
  • added italian translation of installer script and guide file from Mario Dell'Oca (Thanks Mario!),
  • fixed and optimized PicassoIV drivers for ZorroII operation,
  • fixed Cirrus GD5446 TrueColor expansion,
  • enhanced PiccoloSD64 drivers,
  • ReadPixel() implemented for Hi- and TrueColor modes,
  • some missing WaitBlit()'s added,
  • doubled speed of horizontal and vertical lines on chunky CLUT screens with less than 256 colors,
  • removed debug output forgotten in the emulation.library of the 1.11 Picasso96 distribution. :-(
• Version 1.13, March 10th 97:
  • enabled 56kHz audio playback on ECS/AA Amigas when showing Picasso96 modes,
  • IgnoreMask tooltype corrected (works as expected now),
  • large blits on Cirrus GD542x fixed,
  • added aligned screen addresses option with Picasso96 API,
  • bug in clipped BltPattern() calls removed,
  • to avoid problems, DisplayBeep() now does nothing on screens that are not CLUT based, will do something visible later...,
  • found some speed... :-)
• Version 1.13a, March 12th 97:
  • new PiccoloSD64 drivers,
  • some minor fixes.
• Version 1.14, March 19th 97:
  • SoftSprite bug with AreaBlits fixed,
  • DrawEllipse() lockup bug fixed,
  • NewIcons: borderless option works with standard icons now,
  • SD64: major problem with color expansion blits fixed,
  • Piccolo/PiccoloSD64/Spectrum: HiColor conversions fixed,
  • fixed bug causing BitMaps to be one byte too small,
  • mode requesters have the NEWLOOK flag set now,
  • BestModeID behaviour improved for multiple board systems,
  • default tool for installation icon set to "Installer".
• Version 1.15, March 25th 97:
  • CyberGraphics emulation WritePixelArray(): support for RECTFMT_GREY8 added, ScanQuix preview works now,
  • PicassoIV: fixed bug which caused the driver to fail on 030 based systems,
  • Picasso96API: added support for PIP's,
  • fixed some very minor bugs...
• Version 1.16, April 1st 97:
  • PicassoIV problem with flicker fixer trashing other screens hopefully fixed (was introduced with 56kHz audio playback),
  • Amiga video output now always produces 31kHz signal when displaying Picasso96 screens (ECS and AGA),
  • BltMaskBitMapRastPort() behaviour corrected for non-Picasso96 source bitmaps,
  • inproved PIPs: introduced YUV Bitmaps, fixed clipping on autoscroll screens,
  • CyberVision64: removed some bugs, especially concerning small display modes.
• Version 1.17, April 15th 97:
  • BIG CHANGE: Kickstart 3.0 support implemented and checked,
  • vilintuisup locking enhanced, fixes AMax screen mode bug.
• Version 1.18, May 8th 97:
  • problem with Picasso96Mode and PMTNG fixed ("Screen too large ...")
  • HiRes MouseSprites finally available on AGA Amigas
  • Picasso96 modes now have Genlock bit set
  • rtg.library has now a process named "Picasso96" for preferences notification. Currently available: "ENV:Picasso96/AmigaVideo" which may be set to:
    • "15kHz" for standard operation
    • "31kHz" for 56kHz audio (with ECS and AGA only)
    This switch was introduced to prevent damage to monitors like the 1084 when attached to the standard Amiga video output, default is 15kHz. A suitable preferences tool is available.
  • added patch for OpenScreen() to prevent the system from running amok when someone tries to open a screen with more than 256 colors under OS 3.0 (which is a stupid idea anyway)
  • bug in BitMapScale() fixed that showed up with the MineSweeper clone "Boum"
  • improved behaviour of fastlayers.library, more sanity checks included
• Version 1.19, May 15th 97:
  • available depths within screenmode requesters fixed,
  • minimal support for blitting planar bitmaps in fast memory implemented for NewIcons RTG mode and Urouhack,
  • problem with PicassoModeTNG not being able to open screens fixed,
  • compatibility with scratch tool enhanced,
  • Resource V6.00 screen no longer crashes system when removed from board,
  • Picasso96API.library now works on OS 3.0
• Version 1.20, May 23rd 97:
  • Direct2Chunky and Direct2Planar blits now work by pen comparison. At least PowerSnap works with Hi- and TrueColor screens now...,
  • fixed AllocBitMap() which did not clear bitmaps in some cases,
  • fixed bug in Draw() that did not reset some chip registers on planar displays,
  • fixed bug in internal DisplayID handling that could cause lockups,
  • added DisplayID sanity check to avoid DisplayIDs from being used twice, resulting in system lockups,
  • fixed fastlayers.library which caused crashes on some systems,
  • planar modes supported with PicassoIV now,
  • added byteswapped modes with PicassoIV in ZorroII amigas
• Version 1.21, June 1st 97:
  • fixed bug which resulted in BMF_CLEAR being ignored in various cases,
  • fixed bug with fonts using italic soft style on non-layered rastports (Commodore did not adhere to its own programming guidelines there...),
  • no normal user should ever be annoyed by debug output again from now on.
• Version 1.22, July 22nd 97:
  • bug in BltBitMap fixed, Workbench now displays directories using "View By Name" method correctly even in Hi- and TrueColor,
  • bug in GetColorMap() fixed which made trouble pinting in color from within various applications,
  • PicassoIV driver and FliFiTool now support PicassoIV.resource versions upto 4.1,
  • if you use a SoftSprite with PicassoIV, it will no longer disappear over PIPs,
  • sanity checks added for PIP stuff,
  • CV64 hires sprite in TrueColor fixed,
  • CV64 and SD64 planar to chunky conversion hardware support added,
  • Picasso96Mode now displays an extra timing parameter window on the "Edit" screen and preserves future monitor data chunks written by PMTNG and maybe even Picasso96Mode itself...
  • the Picasso96 installation comes in a separate directory now.
• Version 1.22a, July 23rd 97:
  • included new version of picture.datatype
  • replaced invalid GD5434 chip driver
• Version 1.23, August 10th 97:
  • further on-board hardware-blitting support implemented.
  • friends to bitmaps already on the board will be allocated on the board, too, especially clip rects. This in combination with the new on-board blitting functions can lead to dramatically improved layering operations if there is enough off-screen memory available on the board. So you might think twice before spending all board memory for large and/or TrueColor screens... :-)
  • improved management of on-board memory.
  • to take advantage of the new features, some S3 driver blitter functions had to be rewritten and may be a little bit slower now. This also fixes some potential problems with small screens at the end of the board memory due to restrictions caused by the way the blitter has to be programmed and leads to more efficient memory usage.
  • fixed rounding and pixel clock slider (edit screen) in Picasso96Mode.
  • PiccoloSD64: improved timing and fixed ZorroII planar2chunky bug.
  • fixed two color chunky screen layering bug.
  • changed naming scheme for screen modes to give more detailed information on the different modes (limited to 31 characters by the OS). The display IDs are still the same, so only a few braindead programs should notice.
• Version 1.24, August 18th 97:
  • corrected checks for maximum BitMap size that may be put to the board.
  • CV64: some minor speed improvements, corrected sync polarities and screen clearing.
  • changed screen mode name for 8 bit modes for better sorting.
  • lots of speed improvements on the Cirrus GD5446 (as used on the PicassoIV).
  • finished BltPattern() with masks in Hi/TrueColor (ColorWheel should finally work on all screens as expected).
  • mouse sprite speed is now the same for all sprite resolutions.
  • detecting of empty software mouse sprites implemented.
• Version 1.25, August 25th 97:
  • Installer help page works on Hi/TrueColor screens now.
  • mask blits (e.g. Locale prefs) work on Hi/TrueColor screens now, too.
  • added ENV:Picasso96/DirectColorMask environment variable which enables blitting (especially scrolling) with a plane mask on Hi/TrueColor screens when set to "Yes". WARNING: if you activate this, shell scrolling will get terribly slow!
  • PabloII support added to PicassoIV.card.
• Version 1.26, September 1st 97:
  • PicassoIV & PiccoloSD64: certain masked blits optimized.
  • PicassoIV: bug fixes for the 1.25 init bug.
  • PicassoIV: some minor PIP enhancements (corrected occlusion in HiColor).
  • CV64: speed back to normal on screens with widths of 640, 800, 1024, 1152, 1280 or 1600 pixels (including panning/autoscroll).
  • CV64: bug fix in planar2chunky conversion.
  • chunky masked blits speeded up on boards with blitter acceleration.
  • Picasso96 can no longer be started if there is a cybergraphics.library present in memory already.
  • memory management improved (screens have highest priority now).
  • DPMS via cybergraphics interface added (works e.g. with MCP).
• Version 1.27, September 4th 97:
  • PicassoIV: PIP reacts better on hardware restrictions.
  • PicassoIV: max. allowed horizontal resolution adapted. Now screens with up to 2000 pixels are creatable in Chunky and HiColor.
  • fixed a bug within the memory management, which was introduced in 1.26 and caused a lot of trouble (e.g. with NoMemory screens).
• Version 1.28, September 23rd 97:
  • major speed increase: optimized Text().
  • fixed KickStart 3.0 only bug which could cause system crashes.
  • removed potential enforcer hit during swapping of planar screens.
  • hardware acceleration for monochrome pattern blits (Cirrus only right now).
  • graphics memory caching mode changed with 040 and 060 CPUs (a big thank you to Didier Levet!). This can lead to significant speed ups. If you want to disable this feature you can set the environment variable ENV:Picasso96/DoNotSetMMU to "Yes".
  • OS 3.x compatible double buffering implemented. On boards without hardware interrupt support this is not perfect yet.
• Version 1.29, October 7th 97:
  • added Retina BLT Z3:
    • first alpha release!
    • hardware sprite in Hi/TrueColor not available yet.
    • only scrolling is currently accelerated.
    • DPMS should already work.
    • chunky screens have one line of border at the top and at the bottom, this seems to be a bug of the NCR.
    • most pixel clocks untested, do not wonder if the display is not stable in certain modes.
    • no support for external monitor switches yet.
    • only tested with 1MB, memory check routine might fail for 4MB boards.
  • added CyberVision64/3D:
    • first alpha release!
    • BltTemplate()/Text() and Planar2Chunky are not accelerated yet.
    • DPMS should already work.
    • ZorroII completely untested and might not work at all!!!
    • monitor switch could not be tested/implemented yet.
    • on a ZorroIII Amiga it runs fairly well right now...
  • success and bug reports for the new drivers are welcome...
  • Merlin: implemented Planar2Chunky blits and hopefully fixed a bug due to a missing WaitBlitter()...
  • Picasso96Mode: removed obsolete family stuff and enforcer hits.
  • semaphore added to avoid crashes if multiple instances of Picasso96Mode, PMTNG or PabloPrefs try to open the global edit screen simultaneously.
  • PicassoIV: improved horizontal panning.
  • PiccoloSD64: blit routines slightly optimized.
• Version 1.30, October 14th 97:
  • Retina BLT Z3:
    • hardware VBlank interrupt supported.
    • corrected and checked all possible clocks.
    • hardware sprite works in HiColor now.
    • border problem reduced to one line at the top of the display in chunky modes.
    • memory check for 4MB detection (hopefully) corrected.
  • corrected a bug when blitting from ARGB to RGBA bitmaps (thanks to Stefan Sommerfeld for reporting this bug).
  • implemented WaitTOF() and corrected WaitBOVP(), both functions use the hardware interrupt now when available.
  • PicassoIV interrupt handling corrected to allow correct 16bit 44kHz playback with the Concierto sound module during VBlank activity.
  • new install script introducing update and uninstallation features.
  • Pixel64 and UAE drivers included in distribution and installation.
  • corrected double buffer handling of non-visible screens which used to consume all free CPU time.
• Version 1.31, November 3rd 97:
  • CyberVision64: 2MB memory detection corrected.
  • CyberVision64/3D: switching logic of scan doubler module fixed and tested.
  • Merlin: fixed bug in IRQ handler causing enforcer hits in some cases.
  • PicassoII: hardware IRQ only with PII+ fix.
  • Retina BLT Z3:
    • init code fixed (card locked up sometimes).
    • allowed resolutions corrected.
    • inversion and fill operations use the blitter now (in many cases).
  • fixed some details and added more zero pointer checks in WaitTOF() and WaitBOVP().
  • DIPF_IS_DBUFFER set on all P96 modes to reflect implemented double buffering.
  • System2ScreenBlits tooltype added to explicitly allow expansion blits through host cpu accesses. This may speed up Text(), BltTemplate() and p2c blits but should not be used on systems where bus timeouts occure too early (FastGary option and some ZorroII implementations). If you experience ragged text output and lockups on Cirrus based cards you should not use this option.
  • fastlayers.library: fixed a bug with BACKDROP windows.
  • Picasso96Mode: "memory freed twice" alert and settings merging fixed.
  • added french translation to the installer script (thanks to C�dric Quillevere).
• Version 1.32, November 26th 97:
  • emulation libraries and Picasso96API.library now prefer faster cards for BestModeID type functions if more than one is installed
  • ScrollVPort() implemented and tested (thanks to James Ceraldi). This should fix problems with CyberAnim, too.
  • mask blits using same source and destination format (both bitmaps located in graphics card mem) are done with blitter if available
  • PicassoIV: new pixel clock for PabloIV PAL support added
  • WaitBOVP() and WaitTOF() added again after minor fixes, these were left out accidentally in the 1.31 release
  • drivers for the CirrusGD542X boards have been fixed. These were unfortunately partially defective in the 1.31 release.
• Version 1.33, December 17th 97:
  • fixed handling of panning that was broken when introducing the ScrollVPort() patch (Visage center option works again now)
  • PicassoIV: corrected flickerfixer setup, PIP fixes (menus are always visible now, max. zoom factor is now 8)
  • Blitting from Y4U2V2 bitmaps to Hi- and TrueColor bitmaps implemented.
• Version 1.34a, January 20th 98:
  • fixed bugs in PicassoIV.card
  • NCR77C32BLT.chip:
    • sprite colors corrected in 15bit
    • now pixel aligned panning only
  • default settings files now contain 32bit modes, too (needed for TrueColor on CyberVision* cards)
  • optimized WritePixelArray() and the like (significant speed-up)
  • BltPattern() with color patterns fixed (TurboPrint6-GrafikPublisher bug)
  • BltMaskBitMapRastPort() is fast and flicker-less now
  • ScrollVPort() sprite position problems corrected (Myst)
  • CVision3D driver partially supports BltTemplate() acceleration (Text() should be much faster now), maybe some ZorroII problems are resolved now, too (unfortunately untested)
• Version 1.35, February 11th 98:
  • Implemented private semaphore mechanism which renders permanent priority patching obsolete
  • planar modes no longer share the display id with chunky modes, they get their own ids now
  • Retina BLT Z3: more blitting functions, friend bitmaps are now on board if possible, BltTemplate() acceleration (Text() should be much faster now), eliminated problems with wrong mouse sprite colors and interlaced modes
  • Merlin: implemented blitter acceleration for BltPattern() cases with monochrome patterns (8/15/16/32bit)
  • WritePixel() sped up to some degree
  • Software pointer sprite problems fixed within WritePixelArray8(), WritePixelLine8() and WriteChunkyPixels(), which showed up with ADoom.
  • OpenScreen() with depth=0 now behaves like CGfx, so patches for PhotoGenics are no longer needed
  • Cirrus GD5434 and GD5446 based boards: fine horizontal timing adjustments fixed
• Version 1.36, February 24th 98:
  • This time PhotoGenics really does no longer open 2 color screens :-))
  • Fixed p96CloseScreen bug which resulted in MungWall hits
  • Fixed icon paint error in planar modes (BOBs with mask)
  • Retina BLT Z3: remaining 24 bit panning problem fixed
  • Changed the way layers.library handles Picasso96 PIP windows
  • Spectrum and Piccolo boards now support interupts
  • Reduced maximum polling time if waiting for a vertical retrace. This will solve problems with DPMS on Cirrus GD542x based boards, which do not generate display timings in certain blanking levels
  • PicassoIV: merged API support for upcoming add-on modules
  • Pixel64: fixed board driver setup (color palette routines)
• Version 1.37, March 19th 98:
  • removed SwapBitsRastPortClipRect bug (aka FastLayers/PictureManager bug)
  • removed bug causing crashes with PMTNG while editing the test screen
  • cybergraphics.library emulation now v41 compatible
  • included an emulation of the cgxvideo.library using the video overlay of the PicassoIV (not tested well, no CV64/3D overlay support yet, will not work with Isis because of tests for emulation)
  • added new board tool type "MemoryClock" which sets the memory clock (in MHz) of the board within the allowed ranges (you can check with CheckBoards to see the effectively used clock value). Boards that support variable memory clocks and the supported ranges (exceeding values will be clipped):
    • CyberVision64: 54-65
    • CyberVision3D: 55-65
    • Retina BLT Z3: 60-85
    Note: Cirrus based boards already run at maximum speed and therefore do not support this tool type, Tseng based boards do not support variable memory clocks
  • PicassoII: added support for Pablo (all modes with 15 kHz and 50/60 Hz switch on the video encoder) and possibly fixed a bug with wrong colors
  • Retina BLT Z3: fixed a bug causing some blitter trash on 68030 based Amigas
  • extended PIP-API:
    • CLUT PIPs on Hi/TrueColor screens can have their own color table
    • PIP does no longer have to use the complete window interior

The latest version is always available  here, too.