Directory Opus 5 Magellan Announced

Welcome to Directory Opus 5 Magellan!

From its first release in early '95, many Amiga users have seen the
raw power provided by Opus 5 with its unique concept integrating Workbench
Replacement Mode (tm), file management and custom functions
in the one package. These concepts were further refined in the Opus 5.5
release in May '96. During this time of great uncertainty for the Amiga
platform as a whole, we have been buoyed by the support of Opus users,
many of whom have given us continual encouragement as well as much valuable
feedback and suggestions on future directions for Opus 5. 

Through your support Opus 5 has now become firmly established as the
premier workbench replacement and file management program for the Amiga.


Thanks!

With this new version we have attempted to return your loyalty with
ongoing support for the Amiga platform and a continuation of our development
plan for Opus 5.  We have also tried to add as many of your user
suggestions as possible which are consistent with the metaphor of Opus.

We hope you will enjoy the advanced features in this new version which we
call the Directory Opus 5 Magellan version.


Summary of Enhancements

The Magellan version is not just a simple upgrade but the product of 12
months of intensive development of many components of the Opus 5 system and
enthusiastic testing by our beta testers.  This version gives you many new
features with superior useability especially in Workbench Replacement
Mode(tm) with greater control over icons, actions on and with icons, plus
many new features such as Start Menus, extra popup sticky menus and new
background images to name but a few.

After extensive testing we have also improved the compatibility with
Workbench and other Amiga programs with in-built support for the NewIcons
system, better Cybergraphics support, faster icon layout, dragging and
display routines and so on.  A rewritten OpusFTP module complements these
changes and not only gives you up to five times faster access to the
Internet but now has a full GUI for the Address Book and operational
parameters.

New features include:-


Enhanced Lister functionality including:-


Command functions can now act on icon mode listers; 
New popup menus;
Optional Space Gauge showing free space on drives 
Inline Editing for Name mode listers


Enhanced Opus FTP including:-


New GUI Address book
New GUI for configuration system
Up to 5 times faster access with less memory usage
Individual directory cache exclusive to each FTP Lister
Optional idle timer 
Auto index download for AmiNet index files.


A new integrated system of Start Menus.

New Desktop Folder mechanism:- Drag and drop items to the desktop with the
support of optional popup menus

New Icon Positioning system:-

Configure areas where icons will appear and their priority.
Global control of icon labels and icon borders.
Direct byte-for-byte copy of icons.
Icon label splitting for long labels.
New Icon Command function for special "command" files.
New Icon Information requester with extensive popup options.
Faster icon dragging routines.
Use traditional Workbench icon positions for icons or exclusive Opus
positioning.
New Popup menus with shadow look.
New Environment GUIs for greater user control over Opus configuration
options.
Cybergraphics support for dragging icons and general display speed with
full 24 bit backdrops.
Integrated NewIcons support not just for icons but for all system images
including graphic button banks.
Improved compatibility with MUI, DataTypes, MCP and a number of other
programs.
New environment variables to allow you to customise Opus functionality even
more.
Rewritten Text Viewer for faster access and better scrolling especially on
Cybergraphics screens.
New Filetypes including ability to match on disks.
New Scripts system of disk inserted/disk notification gives better control
over new disks or newly mounted remote file systems.
New Command Functions plus enhanced Argument Variables.

Buttons/Images: Full NewIcon image support plus more support for image and
animation file formats including DPaintV/PPaint AnimBrushes.

Groups: Can now contain icon-less items plus you may now add left-out
commands to groups.

New ARexx commands.

More than 40 new callback hooks for easier user programming of Opus - See
Opus SDK

Availability

The Directory Opus 5 Magallan upgrade version will be on demonstration and
available for purchase direct from us on the Wizard/GPSoftware stand at the
World of Amiga show at the Novotel in London May 17/18.  Come and see it
demonstrated by Leo Davidson and Dr Greg Perry

Pricing

Direct from GPSoftware, the Magellan upgrade will be priced at our usual
upgrade fee of Australian $65.00 plus $A10 package and air mail postage.

From Wizard Developments at WoA the price will be approximately GBP 30.00.
Prices from other distributors such as Micro R&D, Wonder and Schatztruhe
will be equivalent.

We apologise!  Our priority has been to get this new Magellan version ready
and available for the WoA show so as to show off new Amiga developments.
So I just have not had time to notify existing users.  All registered users
will be notified by mail with a special upgrade offer sometime around the
start of June.  (When I get back from Europe.)

NOTE: Because of show schedules and resulting time and travel delays,
stocks of the Directory Opus 5 Magellan version will most likely not be
available for sale from main distributors apart from Wizard until
approximately end of May or early June.

Dr Greg Perry, GPSoftware, Brisbane.
GPSoftware PO Box 570, Ashgrove, Brisbane, Australia 4060
Phone/Fax +61 7 33661402
Email: zzgperry@mailbox.uq.edu.au

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