XaAES - XaAES ain't AES
(w)1995,1996, Data Uncertain Software
Original code by Craig Graham
--

After using MultiTOS, then AES4.1, I became frustrated at the lack of a decent
GUI to use the real power of the MiNT kernal - X-Windows is all very
well, but I cann't run GEM programs on it. MultiTOS (even AES4.1) is to slow.
Geneva didn't run with MiNT (and, having tried the new MiNT compatible version,
I can say it wasn't very compatible - at least AES4.1 is quite stable, if a 
little slow). MagiC lives in a very fast, very small world all it's own (no
networking support, few programs written to exploit it).

So I decided to write my own AES, with XaAES being the result.

The major points about XaAES are (or will be):

o It works only with MiNT - the architecture was designed to use MiNT,
  and so you must have it.
o Being written especially for MiNT, it is a real MultiTasking GUI
  that can run GEM programs, not a slow & unwieldy kludge like MultiTOS.
o Groovy sculpted 3D interface.
o Colour icon support for all machines.
o Client-Server architecture.
o No busy waiting in the AES - the GUI server blocks itself if it has nothing
  to do.
o The source is freely available. Anyone can change the code, if they send
  patches to me with descriptions I'll included them into the next version.
o Built with a 'real' C compiler (Lattice) not GNU.
o Extended fast interface for use by XaAES aware programs.
  Extended call interface allows XaAES aware applications to make AES calls
  without blocking to wait for replies they don't want, and to make multiple
  AES calls (calls to the AES server are queued).
o As it runs under MiNT, you get a fully pre-emptive system.
o Window widgets are coloured and animated, not just dull characters.
o It's free.

XaAES Support
--------------
XaAES is free software. No strings, no restrictions except that it
must remain free. Give away binaries if you like, the source will 
always be available from my WWW page anyway....

The main XaAES release point is my web page at

	http://www.i-way.co.uk/~c_graham/

Johan Klockars usually makes new releases available via ftp at

	ftp://rand.thn.htu.se/

I can be contacted in email at

	c_graham@patrol.i-way.co.uk
	
There is a mailling list for XaAES related discussion and development.
To join send a mail to 

	xaaes-request@rand.thn.htu.se 

with 'subscribe' as the subject.

Acknowledgments
---------------
- Steve Sowerby for the resource loader & colour icon handling code
 	(taken from the AGiLE library used in Myriad), 

- Johan Klockars for diffs, ideas and running our wonderful mailling 
	list.

- Martin Koehling for many many diffs & bugfixes.

- Thomas Binder for the diffs (before he became Thing's custodian).

- Tamminen Eero for the file selector directory handling code.

- James Cox for our wonderful moose.xdd mouse driver - no polling 
	here :)

- Chris Ridd for the Lattice C port of MiNTlibs pl46.

- Simes Harrison for invaluable advice on the low-level trap handling
	routines.

- Eric Smith for MiNT.

- Atari World magazine for the auto folder detect routine and guidelines on
	calling the VDI without the GEM AES present.

- Phil Lishman for his thoughts on how to approach various problems in the
	 window handling.

- Richard Kydd, Jas Malaure, Mark Lawrence and Jose Cummins for 
looking on and making polite encouraging noises in the office....

And, of course, M*crosloth for making XaAES look good ;)

Craig's Build Enviroment
-------------------------
XaAES was built on a Falcon030 4/32Mhz (soon with Nemesis card as 
well).
Compiler:  Lattice C 5.52 
Libraries: MiNTlib pl46
Resources: Interface 2 for colour icons + form editting
           +mouse shapes by Mouse-Ka-Mania2
OS kernal: MiNT 1.12h2
AES:       XaAES (one build earlier)
Extra system softs: NVDI4, FalconScreen, Thing 0.59


