* Could you introduce yourself, please?

My name is Alexey. The history keeps my surname quiet althrough it`s
known as Ivanov :-) As you know, I use nick AmiS.

I was born in Moscow. It was a very sunny morning with the strong
frost. From maternity home I was delivered to a village with taxi.
I remember that it was some hot in a cab :)

I am living in Moscow; oh, yes, it is in Russia :)



* Which projects has been done by you? From what was it started?

Well, let make a history then. I started programming at 1990 with
well-known ZX Spectrum. I have not written demos myself; however
I created disk boot intros for games. I adapted ArtStudio for
Scorpion. I had also explored disk copying and made a program which
in fact, copies most disks one-to-one.

Oh, yes, I remember: before ZX I had got Hobby PK8000 on which
I studied Basic.

Later I obtained an pure Amiga 1200 which is still with me. Then in
half of year I bought a hard disk for it. And so right on I started
to work at problem of Russian localization - those times it was real
problem.

There was a jamed standard named "Mikhailowsky" (DM) but most people
have used CP-866 charset instead; somebody tried to work at CP-1251.
And so, with help of RDC I made a kind of charset standard which was
eligibled for most people. It was very like DM but with russian
letters placed as at CP-1251, and it had pseudo-graphical signs
inside as well (for fixed fonts; in proportional ones it was replaced
with LATIN-1 symbols). It was not easy work but the result was
applicabled for me and my friends.

Generally speaking, from first days I started to learn Asm68k and
converter program "UniConv". There are also some projects followed
it, but they were not publicated.



* Which projects have been supported by you now?

As for now, I develop next projects: LzxRepacker, VisualGuide and
eNote. I have decision to make the new UniConv and first steps are
already done. Also I along with nOT work at new eRuDict.



* Tell us more about these project, please.

eRuDict  is a program which allows people who know English not good
(like me), quite understand what it is written at least. Previous
version of the program has been programmed by Juggler, dictionaries
were prepared by nOT. Now I program a new kernel and nOT continues
with developing of dictionaries. Shortly, we shoulder the project
but there are some problems with it and the main one is time, i.e.
its lack.

eNote is small notepad. It may be used as stickers, editor, phonebook
and even as password keeper if you have not pen and paper ready to
hands or just idle about it :-) for example, when telephone.

LzxRepacker is a program for convert different archives to LZX. The
utility has many interesting modes and it has not analogs with such
features. Those time when I scrutinized such software and even did
not think about own program, I have found so many problems... For
example none could repack some archives together; they all were
droped into one heap. I even do not say that no software did check
for archive integrity and about other features. Moreover only a
few packers were supported, as a rule it was something like lha2lzx.
So well, firstly I tried to fix scripts, then set and wrote initial
version of LzxRepacker.

VisualGuide is a cataloguer. The program allows build the index of
a local (yet) directory and produces it all as usable AmigaGuide
document.



* I know that you take a part on Yam project...

I joined it with the would to help with developing of this mail
client. Unfortunately, my free time is limited and for this moment
I have not much done for the project; particular: dr.Titus made a
patch for russian charsets` recognization and convertation and my
task was program interface and make it workable without conflicts
for exterior users. Also I should write docs and put the all into
repository. On the way I fixed some errors there. With it I found
good help from Q-Master and BigBlack, as well as many people of
channel #AmigaRus, who made tests. This version ought be relized
in near future and will contain all the changes.



* Which programming languages are you known with?

Asm68k, AsmZ80, Ñ, Ñ++ and a little: Forth, Pascal, Forthran,
different versions of Basic; in plane: Java and ARexx.



* Are you alone programmer or in a team?

In past I sought for a group but without luck and so I am alone.



* Have you favorite games on Amiga?

No, there is not. I do not play games so much...

* Do you not like games?

In main, I do not. Time to time I play CounterStrike and Q3 at the
work place.



* What do you feel about what happens with Amiga?

Pegasos + MorphOS... I do not see any other choice.

* So what is about AmigaOne + OS4? Shark?

The fact of matter is that the most real software authors support
MorphOS. Here are VaporWare and many other MUI programmers. With
my experience I say that MUI is the best solution from any points
of view: ideology, internal structure, appearance and surely its
configuration abilities. And the presence of MUI as system interface
is the big plus of MorphOS. This OS continues ideology of AmigaOS
and drops some old problems like protected memory. From other side,
Pegasos solves troubles with hardware. And remember that they say
about compatibility with Linux and NetBSD as well as possibility
to run two systems simultaneity; we might only dream about it before!
And PPC as well... Truly, I do not see an alternative. Real Amigans
will migrate to MorphOS and Pegasos.



* What is your opinion about AmigaOS XL and emulators based on x86?

I dunno. I run only Amithlon. It works good. And so what? It is
easy for developers who has PC at home - they may forget about
slow AGA. Although I like Amithlon idea, nevertheless it will not
be the Amiga.



* What is config of your current Amiga? Which software?

A1200 Tower - B1260/60. OS3.9, SAS/C, Dopus5, AmIRC, CED.



* Which interests do you have besides programming?

From beginning, the programming was just my hobby. Now it is my
profession. I like swimming, skiing, my car and of course my
girlfriend ;) For other avocations there is not enough time :))



* How do you feel about demoscene?

It`s calmly. At times I wish do something but there is no time.
And when I think about doing something useful else then that wish
disappears :-)



* Do you have ideas on the future? Software or some other...

Make a match :))) Well, there is one freeware project for Russians
under MorphOS and perhaps AmigaOS; I have also a couple of commercial
ideas.



* Has Amiga a future, what do you think?

As for me, so the future of Amiga is MorphOS. Amiga Inc. will not
be able to drag itself; people will strengthen them hands faintly.



* Is our future is the Linux ideology?

Why? All be the same as now...  OS and hardware will be in progress.
Due new fast hardware we will have feasibility to write new software.
And MUI as system interface will show itself. From now the new epoch
is opening for system programmers; alot of new and fast hardware -
there will be enough work for all.



* Your thought about MorphOS is clear; what is about OS4 and AmigaDE?

I can say nothing due have not enough information. Will see and
talk about it after these products appear for public. I do not like
both luck of detailed information and politicy of drift of Amiga Inc.
What have we obtained from Amiga Inc. for, let say, some last years?
Nope, nothing except words. That AmigaOS they do together with
Haage&Partner, does only anger. Remember OS3.1 on some diskettes
and now they do OS3.9 on CD but with the same functions. About
installation I can say that it is nightmare. There are many points
of alertness: reticence of technical docs, luck of independent
programmers support, choice of partners etc...



* Do you hope for the best or are you waiting for nothing from AInc?

Amiga Inc. hangs upon big magnates and forgets about people who have
supported Amiga last years really. Truly, I am waiting for nothing
from them; all what they do, I cannot even name it. And the luck of
information is the bigest minus. Contrariwise, all the information
about MorphOS is available now and we know what is it. I know that
it is being developed by real Amigans. They keep most useful things
and make needed ones. So I support MorphOS in every way. Will see
again when AmigaOS4.0 will come out.



* Have you an opinion about AROS?

Recently I had got an access for AROS sources and have looking
throughout it...  There was big work done; whizz. By the way,
MorphOS uses many things from AROS, for example kernel routines
and some system libraries.



* How does somebody can contact you?

I am always on channel #AmigaRus on forestnet IRC.
My email: amis@amiga.org.ru



* Do you wish to say something for Russian Amigans?

I hope that there will be new software. I try to help as many people
as I can; I am ready to teach... Call me, ask me. Also I wish to ask
users to support Amiga software developers actively - their number
is so poco.



* What do you think about AiC?

I cannot live without it. I am serious :-) It is very cool portal;
only one russian portal about Amiga which is updated daily and
contains fresh information. For me it is starting-point to the
Internet :)



* Thank you for hot words :) And thank you for good chat.
Good luck!

(c) 01/2002 Amiga Information Center