ALOAD - Amiga Launcher for CommodoreOS

ALOAD is a launcher for Amiga games on CommodoreOS. It provides an easy way to launch .adf (Amiga Disk Format) and .lha (LHA Archive) files with proper file manager integration.

Note: The package name is aload (lowercase) following Debian conventions, but the command is ALOAD (uppercase) to mimic the original Commodore LOAD command.

Features

• Simple command-line interface for launching Amiga games
• File manager integration for .adf and .lha files
• Automatic window management and focus handling
• User-friendly terminal interface with helpful keybind reminders
• Proper dependency management through DEB packaging

Building the DEB Package

Prerequisites

Install the build dependencies:

make install-deps

Building

To build the DEB package:

make

This will create aload_1.0.0_all.deb in the current directory.

Available Make Targets

• make or make all - Build the DEB package (default)
• make clean - Remove build directory
• make build - Prepare package structure only
• make deb - Create the DEB package
• make install-deps - Install build dependencies
• make install - Install the created DEB package
• make uninstall - Remove the installed package
• make test-install - Test package installation and removal
• make help - Show help message

Installation

From DEB Package

sudo apt install ./aload_*_all.deb

The package will automatically install its dependencies:

• wmctrl - for window management
• xdotool - for window activation
• amiberry - the Amiga emulator

Usage

Command Line

ALOAD /path/to/game.adf
ALOAD /path/to/game.lha

Options:

• --windowless - Run in current terminal instead of spawning a new terminal window

File Manager Integration

After installation, .adf and .lha files will be associated with ALOAD:

1. Right-click on an .adf or .lha file
2. Select "Open with ALOAD - Amiga Launcher"
3. Or set ALOAD as the default application for these file types

File Types Supported

• .adf - Amiga Disk Format files
• .lha - LHA archive files (typically WHDLoad games)

Dependencies

The DEB package automatically handles these dependencies:

• wmctrl - Window management utilities
• xdotool - X11 automation utilities
• amiberry - Amiga emulator

Development

The main script is ALOAD.py which gets installed as /usr/bin/ALOAD.

To modify the package:

1. Edit ALOAD.py or Makefile as needed
2. Update the version in Makefile if needed
3. Run make clean && make to rebuild

File Manager Integration Details

The package installs:

• Desktop file: /usr/share/applications/aload.desktop - Makes ALOAD appear in application menus and file associations
• MIME types: /usr/share/mime/packages/aload-mimetypes.xml - Defines .adf and .lha file types
• Post-install scripts: Updates system MIME and desktop databases

This allows file managers to:

• Recognize .adf and .lha files with proper icons
• Offer ALOAD as an option in "Open with" menus
• Allow setting ALOAD as the default application for these file types

Troubleshooting

If ALOAD doesn't appear in file associations after installation:

sudo update-mime-database /usr/share/mime
sudo update-desktop-database /usr/share/applications

If dependencies are missing:

sudo apt-get install wmctrl xdotool amiberry

Template System

The Makefile uses a template-based approach for generating package files:

• Templates: All package files are generated from templates in the templates/ directory
• Variable Substitution: The control file template uses @VARIABLE@ placeholders that get replaced during build

This approach makes the build system much more maintainable and follows best practices for package generation.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0-or-later).

• See the LICENSE file included in this repository for the full text.
• When packaged, the license and this README are installed under /usr/share/doc/aload/.