for the 65816) literally came out of the blue in an email from Bert Novilla back in October, 2013. One feature that's still missing is the ability to listen to the sounds that you create with the SID tool. One of these days
I'll get it done!

- - - - - - - - - -

Q. Of course with so many tweaks and amendments, and such a well created package, I have to ask, will the product ever be finished and development
stop?

AJ. No, I doubt it will ever be finished as there's always bugs to fix.
As for new features, CBM prg Studio goes through phases when I think there can't be any major new features left, and then suddenly I'm working on something new. Again, I have the users to thank for that. As for
stopping, that will happen when I no longer enjoy writing code and as I do
that for a living - hopefully it won't be for a long time yet!

- - - - - - - - - -

Q. It would seem that c64prgGen has really been taken up with the
Commodore community. I know, for example, "Alien Bash 2" was written using
CBM prg Studio by Tomi Malinen (www.flimsoft.co.uk/), and also HELSINGS
HUNT-A STAB IN THE DARK A game made for the mini Ludum Dare #45 by Goerp in 2013, and a few demos. Now I know you are aware of this, and a few readers have also asked for updates on your project and even tutorials. How does
that make you feel?

AJ. A big part of the incentive to keep developing CBM prg Studio is from
the feedback I get and from seeing it being used to create actual software, rather than "hello world" demos (not that there's anything wrong with
that!). Also, because I'm interested in the project myself, it doesn't
take much feedback either. If I get an email containing something like, "I came across your application and got back into programming after 20
years..." then I'm happy. I get more of a thrill when I see users
recommending CBM prg Studio to other users (or supporting it) without any
input from me. Some users have even gone to the effort of making YouTube videos! The feedback works both ways though. I try very hard to get a bug
fix or a new feature coded up quickly so the user can try it and I think
the quick turn-around is appreciated.

- - - - - - - - - -

Q. The original project was just to dabble with VB. Could you ever have imagined the project would have turned into what it is now?

AJ. Not at all! I started writing C64PrgGen back in 2007 and it was
released in 2008. I certainly didn't think I would still be working on it
6 years later - or that it would be as popular as it is.

- - - - - - - - - -

Q. Finally, what is the feature you are most proud of, and do you have any final comments you would like to add?

AJ. That's a tough one! It was probably the first release of CBM prg
Studio (after the name change), because it was the biggest technical
challenge in terms of adding the new machines, and making it look and work
more like Microsoft's Visual Studio. I'm also very pleased with the
debugger - there's around 12,000 lines of code in that baby!

- - - - - - - - - -

Q. Just to close, do you have any further comments you would like to say
to the readers of Commodore Free?

AJ. Well, I'd like to thank the Commodore Community. A project of this
size couldn't exist without the support I get from them. I'd also like to thank Commodore Free for this opportunity to update its readers. I still
get the odd email from C64PrgGen users asking if there's a new version out soon!



*************************************
INTERVIEW WITH THE CREATORS OF
THE ARMIGA PROJECT
By Commodore Free
*************************************

www.armigaproject.com/

THE IDEA

Wouldn't it be great to be able to use all those aging Amiga disks again?
Maybe the original Amiga is a bit big and the video quality isn't so
good...

THE PROJECT

... A smaller version, with modern connections would be awesome. So the project is to take modern technology make it work with good old floppies

THE FEATURES

* Full Amiga 500 emulation: The target machine is the iconic Amiga 500 and right now 90% of the disks are working!

* Boot to Android: Armiga supports Dual Boot and comes loaded with Android 4.2.2, so when you're not playing you can have all the power of Android!

* Automatic disk load: Like in the original Amiga; insert the disk and off
you go!.

* Disk dump: Create ADF images of your favourite games and keep them safe
on the SD.

* ADF support: Bring your own ADF images on a pendrive or SD card and
enjoy!

* Disk swap: Just insert the disk and it will be dumped. When time comes
to change disks, just select the right ADF. Ain't it easy?

* FTP server: No need to take the SD off to manage the ADFs; just do it
from your computer!

* Graphical menu: Simple and elegant, with usability as main focus.

* Game save: Save your game and resume later.

* Autosave: Forgot to save? We do it for you!

* Screenshot: Wanna share your joy? Give our screenshot feature a try.

- - - - - - - - - -

Q. Hi, can you introduce yourself to our readers and a little information about your background?

We are two engineers (Igor Modino and Luis Guirado) with a crazy idea and project we wanted to develop. We are from Spain and we live in the Canary Islands.

- - - - - - - - - -

Q. I suppose for the readers that don't realize you will need to explain
the projects name "ARMIGA".

We are trying to bring back the Amiga 500 in the shape of a plug and play device which is a mix between the retro world and newer technologies we
have nowadays. It is aimed at retro gamers and people who want to recall
the feelings of the old games.

- - - - - - - - - -

Q. So who came up with the project and what was the original concept?

The idea for this project came to us over two years ago. After many years
of working in technology for the government project, we decided to
brainstorm to find some interesting and viable project to be able to spend
some of our time, and expand our personal and professional horizons. Like almost all good projects, the idea matured in different bars, always accompanied by good beer and the appropriate cover ;) However, the original concept was to re-implement the Amiga 500.

- - - - - - - - - -

Q. There have been other "similar" projects. So, how does the ARMIGA
differ from say "the minimig"?

Anyone who has used emulators realized that the experience is far from the original machine: you have to manage configurations, ROMs, images ... and worse, in most cases, you cannot use the original media (disks, cartridges ...).

As far as we know however, there is no system that does what Armiga does.
Of course we have PC emulators and FPGA systems too. And yes, there is the Minimi. However, we are talking about a radically different target
audience. In this case, they are enthusiastic. Anyway, they presented the same problems as before, the devices do not have a disk controller.


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