PocketLauncher
==============
A WHDLoad game launcher for AmigaOS 2.0+. It scans your disks,
catalogs the slaves, and you launch them from a list with cover
images. Ideal for large collections (tested with 3000+ games).
Assumes you already use WHDLoad.
Runs on any 68000 or better - from a plain 68000 (A500/A600 with a
2.0+ ROM) up to the fastest 040/060. The binary is built for the
68000 with the full 2.0+ API, so there is no separate "020" build to
pick: the same file runs everywhere, and faster CPUs run it faster.
The best part: no libraries needed
----------------------------------
* A single binary, ~380 KB. Copy it and it runs - nothing to install.
* No MUI needed (iGame requires it), no datatypes, no guigfx, nothing
off disk.
* Plain 68000 compatible - no 020+ required.
Features
--------
* Smart auto-cataloging: reads the name embedded in the slave and the
igame.data (title, genre, year, players, chipset, arguments), and
tells games from demos on its own.
* Multiple sources at once (up to 16 folders/volumes), detects mounted
volumes and drops duplicates.
* Incremental Update Index: adds new slaves without re-scanning
everything.
* Integrity check: finds slaves that are missing (deleted or moved)
and cleans them from the database, but keeps the ones on an
unmounted volume, so you don't lose your DB if you unplug a CF.
* Low-RAM mode and an optimized fast-RAM mode.
* Native IFF cover images, no datatypes. Laced, progressive (hires)
and RTG. Multi-IFF: view every .iff in the game's folder, not just
one. Two scaling modes: fill and sharp (pixel-perfect).
* Built-in tooltype editor - edit the .info from the app without
opening IconEdit.
* Run at startup and optional fullscreen.
* Sortable table (title, platform, genre, year, players). Filter by
three combinable criteria: language, platform (OCS/ECS, AGA, CD32,
CDTV) and type (games, demos, mags, cracktros, apps), plus a title
search. Iconify to an AppIcon with global hotkeys.
Install
-------
Unpack the LHA and run PocketLauncher. That's it - no assigns, no
libraries, no MUI.
Changelog
---------
v33.288 (2026-08-09)
* Now runs on a bare 68000, not just 68020+. Earlier releases
shipped a 68020 binary that crashed on a plain 68000 (A500/A600,
68EC000 accelerators). The launcher is now compiled for the 68000
with the full AmigaOS 2.0+ API - one binary for every machine, and
faster CPUs are not slowed down. Confirmed booting on real 68000
hardware.
* The boot/system volume (usually "System") now shows up in the
detected-volumes list under Sources. A display filter was hiding
it, so you could index it by typing the path but never saw it
offered - fixed.
* The "DB x.xx mb" status label no longer flickers while the window
sits idle. It was being repainted on every timer tick even when
the value hadn't changed; it now repaints only when the number
actually changes.
v33.286 (2026-07-31)
* RTG fix: on a graphics-card / RTG Workbench (Picasso96,
CyberGraphX - e.g. a 1920x1080 desktop) the launcher wrongly
refused to start with "screen too low", even though the screen is
plenty big. Those screens don't set the legacy ECS HIRES bit that
the resolution check demanded. It now accepts any screen 640 wide
or more regardless of that bit, and only requires the HIRES bit on
narrow (<640) screens - so RTG desktops work and native LoRes is
still correctly rejected. Native OCS/ECS/AGA modes are unaffected.
v33.285 (2026-07-30)
Memory-scaling pass so big collections index fully on real
fast-RAM machines.
* The game database is now held in a chunked pool (fixed 256-record
blocks) instead of one growing array. The old single array needed
an ever-larger contiguous block and walled indexing at ~3000
games / ~2 MB even on an 8 MB machine, because no single free
block was big enough. The chunked pool uses fast RAM in small
pieces, so all of it is usable - large collections now index to
completion.
* Header-count validation now guards both directions (a corrupt DB
whose count byte reads as a large or negative value is rejected
with a "rebuild via Sources > Index" message instead of loading
garbage rows).
* Auto low-RAM mode kicks in on the right thresholds (small
fast-RAM or low total), and the optimized fast-RAM path is used
when there's headroom.
v33.284 (2026-07-21)
Robustness pass from two independent audits, 14 verified fixes.
* The "Please insert volume X" requester no longer pops at boot or
when launching a game whose volume is dismounted (unplugged USB,
ejected disk) - DOS requesters are now suppressed launcher-wide.
* WHDLoad paths of 241-255 chars now launch (they used to truncate
at 240, leaving the game unlaunchable).
* Games on offline volumes are no longer pruned by "Check DB
integrity" (preserved until the volume returns).
* Fixed a crash on OS 2.0-3.0 when drawing thumbnails.
* DB game-count validation against file size (prevents blank rows
from a corrupt DB).
Built with MacumbaEditor - https://macumbaeditor.com
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