New beta of Icaros Desktop 2.3

Hello, I am very happy to announce that a brand new beta version of Icaros Desktop 2.3 is now available. As usual, the direct download link has been sent to our beta testers, to interested 3rd party application coders and patrons pledging $5 or more. You may have noticed that our "Support us" section on the right has slightly changed in the latest days: the Patreon button has been removed, and replaced by a simple link. The reason is Italy's tax-rate for Patreon income, which is incredibly high for an individual (6 euros out of 10 go to italian government). Total income earned by this project is simply too low to justify the creation of a company with a VAT number, or even a not-profit entity, which might help about this. Whoever would like to support this project with a monthly donation, should set up one with PayPal and let me know. I will add their address to the beta testers mailing list (if they are interested into beta-testing) and they will get download links for betas as well. Or maybe I will create a new mailing list only for this purpose. I will keep the Patreon page open at least up to december 31st, 2020, and see if something will change in the meanwhile.

But let's talk about something funnier.

As I already wrote here, one of the most noticeable changes between 2.2.x and 2.3 is the way hosted installation is considered. Hostbridge has incredibly improved, thanks to the efforts of Nicola Scendoni, and I also made my duty ensuring that MyWorkspace: would use host folders inside user home directory for images, pictures, downloads and so on. Well, just some days ago I realized that there was still a component missing within MyWorkspace, which was the Desktop drawer. Magellan can use a drawer for user desktop contents, and this was already silently set to MyWorkspace:Desktop, at least on native installation, while on hosted it was set to Home:Desktop. What was missing, was just a Desktop: assign to these directories. So I placed the assign command in S:myworkspace-Startup script and modified Magellan's settings to use it instead. I created the ISO of Icaros beta, installed it, and since it was working OK I uploaded it to the main server, ready to be published here.

However, I noticed a really strange behaviour: every time I saved a document, its icon popped up automatically on the desktop. If I deleted it from the Desktop, the project would vanish even from Documents:. I looked into Magellan options many time to understand what I accidentally changed to make it work like this, when I discovered where the bug was. While editing S:myworkspace-Startup, I accidentally set the Desktop: assign to MyWorkspace/Documents, instead of MyWorkspace/Desktop, and this affected only native installations (which explains why I didn't notice the issue while working on the distribution, from my hosted setup). Hence, if you're downloading Icaros' beta, please do what follows to fix the issue:

1. open a shell and enter this command:

edit s:myworkspace-startup

2. locate the section beginning with Lab MKASSIGN

3. change this line:
assign Desktop: ${envarc:Icaros/MW/Documents} DEFER
with this line
assign Desktop: ${envarc:Icaros/MW/Desktop} DEFER

4. save and reboot

Well, at least now you know another trick: would you like to automatically show on the desktop something you save in a specific drawer? Just assign Desktop: to that drawer's path and enjoy! There are many many reasons to use this beta instead of version 2.2.8: it's much much more advanced and includes a lot of new interesting stuff. It's been a long way and there is still much to be done before final release (the most important: fix Windows hosted installation). Here is a list of what changed since the last official release, with a section for the latest additions

- fixed a bug in LiveUpdater not copying new Icaros settings in Env-Archive
- backport from Icaros 64: updated icaros launcher for linux hosted mode
+- added options to reset, stop, add/change/delete parameters at startup
+- Magellan now shows Linux user when hosted on Linux
+- replaced all 'more' instances with 'cat' to enhance reliability
- modified Linux installation script to allow 32bit Icaros run on a 64bit system
+- fixed Linux installation script to install ifconfig command, if missing
- updated fpc and components to latest release
- added LUA Scripts filetype to Magellan
- added Leu 0.07 to system/Utilities
+- replaced Leu icon with a new one from Icaros Desktop
- added Spreadsheet filetype to Magellan
- edited Spreadsheet def_info file to open them with Leu
- added Saga to Extras/Games
- added deark to sys/C
- updated SQLMan to latest release
- updated Timekeeper to v1.09
+- removed duplicated DOpus manuals to save space
+- removed pointless double check when deleting files
- changed behaviour of Magellan's "Archive" button
+- destination archive filename now requested to user
+- fixes former single-files compression errors
- added LilCalendar to Utilities
+- Icaros now loads LilCalendar at startup to follow your schedule
+- added LilCalendar hide/show script in S:, with icon in AmiStart
- added IconPoser to Tools
- moved IconEditor from Utilities to Extras/Design
- removed DigiClock from WBstartup, now running from Commodities
- cleaned up DigiClock directory, sources now in Extras/Documentation
- updated Icaros Settings to add options for calendar and clock
- updated MCC TextEditor to v15.53 beta (i386 and M68K)
+- This version is setting RPTAG_PenMode for AROS in every situation
- added/replaced many missing icons (shell, AAEDT and others)
- created a new directory in Extras, "Trackers" for all audio trackers
- moved all trackers out of Extras/MediaEditors, changed description
- moved Protrekkr to Extras/Trackers: no more available in Light edition
- created the new alias 'ltasks' to replace broken TaskList command
- created S:ctask to check if a specific task is running
- backport from Icaros 64: MyWorkspace management scripts
- updated windows and linux hosted setup scripts to reflect changes
- Lua is mandatory: moved it from Development stuff to SYS:Tools
- fixed: AmiStart now saves its settings in Envarc:Icaros
+- no more overwriting of AmiStart settings during updates
+- Added the new Hosted setting to AmiStart for Linux hosted environments
+- AmiStart settings now identified as 'Custom' after modifying bar items
- MyWorkspace now using HOME: for hosted version
- updated all TrueType fonts definitions
+- disabled sharing of fonts between x86 and M68K environments
+- Magellan now shows user name in the top bar, in hosted mode
- Added AmiFish and StockFish to Extras/Games
+- Added a collection of styles for AmiFish
- updated AnimWebConverter to v3.00
- added new BMPX datatype from Miker
- updated Hollywood's AHX plugin to latest version
- Added terminus bitmap font
- Added ViewT to C
- Added Picture Datatype creation package in Extras/Development/Build
- Added ZuneHexEditor to Extras/Development/Tools
- updated ZunePaint and ZuneView to latest release
- updated spu.datatype to latest release
- added UserMenus to Commodities
- updated HivelyTracker to new version 1.8
- updated ModExplorer and cut off _AROS from program name
- updated ActivateWin to handle windows from process name and id
- updated HostBridge files (PathConv) to handle ASSIGNs
- updated MyWorkspace scripts to handle localized user directories
+ installation script does this as well!
- no more pointless "pendrive installer" on Linux hosted
- begun work on installation manager
- fixed: Icaros linux scripts now use 'cat' instead of 'more'
- added Frets-on-fire-CPP to Extras/OpenGL/Games
- HostBridge: added 'dotconvert' and 'sync_app' to handle .desktop files
- HostBridge: Linux applications can now be added at startup
- HostBridge: HostApp now replaced by sys:Linux and sys:Windows
- updated potrace to latest version
- updated MUIMapparium to latest version
- added Ezekiel to Extras/Misc
- fixed Lilcalendar database
- added S:waitforfile to somehow replace C:waitnotify on unsupported filesystems
- added ComicOn to Extras/Multimedia
- added AmiBrixx to Extras/Games
- added FIGlet to Extras/Misc
- added AminetReadmeMaker to Extras/Development/Tools
- updated AnimWebConverter to v4.00
- updated LoView to v2.91
- added Snapshoter to Tools (handles screenshots and recording)
- ScreenGrabber and ScreenRecorder moved to Extras/MediaEditors
- fixed ZuneARC cfg file to handle unrar 5.80 and upwards
- updated VIM to latest release
- added Odamex (ag-odamex) to Extras/Games/DooM
- added Jumpman to Extras/Games
- updated MUIMapparium to latest release
- added Chromium to Extras/OpenGL/Games
- added pgp/k to C

LATEST:
- updated Flac in C and development libraries to latest version
- replaced AcuarioFV with Acuario2020
- updated Africa in Extras/Games to latest version
- added BlocksOfTheUndead to Extras/Games
- updated ComicOn to latest release
- added Extreme Tux Racer to Extras/OpenGL/Games
- replaced FPC (FreePascal) 3.1.1 with 3.2.0 in Extras/Development/Languages
- updated unrar to version 5.90
- added IceBreaker to Extras/Games
- added Jigzo to Extras/OpenGL/Games
- updated MuiRoyale.hwp to latest release
- added SilkRAW to Extras/Design (works on native installations only)
- added RNOPublisher to Extras/Applications
- updated InstallerLG to latest build
- added MCAmiga to Extras/FileSystem
+ modified mc, mcdiff, mcview to reflect Icaros file structure
- fixed: now more scripts in S get executable flag
- updated MCC_BetterString to v11.34 (x86 and m68k)
- updated MCC_Nlist to v0.126 (x86 and m68k)
- updated MCC_TextEditor to v15.54 (x86 and m68k)
- updated MCC_TheBar to v26.20 (x86 and m68k)
- updated ModExplorer to v3.1
- added XMP plugin for Hollywood to Libs
- updated VAMP to latest release
- updated VidentiumPicta to latest release
- updated EasyRPG Player to v0.6.1, restored icon for Player
- added Petme Fonts (Commodore 8-bit fonts remake)

- new "cubic sea" background by Paolo Besser