Amiga Paradise Changelog

Added a new favorites notification system to alert users when new additions match their favorite composers, groups, developers or other credited personalities.

Notifications are now grouped into daily digests to avoid spam and improve readability.

Added a dedicated “Favorite Updates” page showing all recent additions related to user favorites.

Improved dashboard notification handling and synchronization for user/admin accounts.

Added automatic daily processing of favorite notifications via server scheduler.

Fixed several notification badge and counter inconsistencies in the dashboard.

Fixed notification consumption behavior for favorite-related alerts.

Improved grouping and duplicate filtering when multiple favorites match the same software entry.

Fixed an issue causing the custom playlist audio player to fail when opening user playlists.

Improved playlist loading stability and validation checks.

Improved the accuracy of the “Most Prolific Composers — By Credited Tracks” statistics.

Multi-composer soundtracks and compilation-style entries are now handled more precisely, greatly reducing incorrect track attributions.

Added a new internal audio track editor for easier soundtrack management.

Added integrated software search with composer overview.

Added faster track editing and composer assignment tools.

Added quick options for resetting track durations after re-recordings.

Added safer track deletion tools with confirmation prompts.

Improved internal workflow for maintaining large and complex soundtrack entries.

Reduced the need for manual database editing during audio maintenance tasks.

Added user avatars to the comments system on both software pages and news pages.

Added new “Most Prolific Composers” statistics sections:

Added new playlist statistics:

Improved comments visual presentation with subtle avatar depth and styling refinements.

Improved wording and readability of several statistics labels and descriptions.

Added cache generation date information to the statistics page.

Added an informational notice explaining that some statistics refresh every 24 hours.

Updated playlist statistics calculations to support the newer multi-playlist system.

Performed minor cleanup and consistency improvements on the statistics system.

Reorganized the user dashboard sidebar for better readability and easier navigation.

Added categorized sections to the dashboard menu (Music & Collection, Activity, Settings).

Improved the profile image selection page layout and overall visual presentation.

Added a new categorized avatar system with dedicated avatar collections:

Added many new retro-themed profile avatars inspired by classic Amiga hardware, software companies, Workbench icons, and iconic game characters.

Improved avatar consistency and visibility for circular display rendering.

Added support for manually organizing avatars through a centralized avatar catalog configuration file.

Various UI refinements and visual cleanup for the dashboard profile section.

Added full multi-playlist support for user accounts.

Users can now create, rename and delete custom playlists directly from the dashboard.

Added a new dual-playlist transfer tool allowing tracks to be copied or moved between playlists.

Added support for independent playlist management modes:

Added track selection and transfer controls between playlists.

Added playlist safety limits to prevent oversized playlist abuse.

Refactored the original playlist system while preserving compatibility with the existing “default” favorites playlist.

Improved dashboard playlist organization and navigation.

Improved playlist management workflow and overall usability.

Added better visual feedback for selected tracks and playlist operations.

Improved search result hover previews so images now display fully outside their containers.

Improved estimated waiting time calculations for public radio requests.

Queue estimation logic now correctly accounts for reserved upcoming tracks and pending request blocks.

Refined queue handling behavior for mixed auto/user/admin playback scenarios.

Internal cleanup and restructuring of playlist-related PHP, AJAX and JavaScript components.

Added additional safeguards and validation checks for playlist operations.

Improved the overall reliability and security of the account registration and login system.

Enhanced validation and protection mechanisms across account-related pages.

Refined confirmation and password reset workflows to better handle edge cases and invalid requests.

Added additional safeguards against suspicious or abusive registration attempts.

Improved session and token handling for better account security and stability.

Added a new internal authentication self-test tool in the admin panel to help verify the full registration and password recovery workflow after future updates.

Reworked the admin dashboard menu layout for improved readability and easier navigation between tools and management pages.

Various internal cleanup and quality-of-life improvements across the authentication system and admin interface.

Added support for extra credits in people and company software listings.

Added automatic additional role detection for people profiles.

Unified people and company pages with the new modern information layout.

Added zebra-striped information tables and improved responsive layouts.

Improved navigation handling with a centralized back-navigation helper.

Completely redesigned the search results layout.

Added categorized software results displayed in multiple columns.

Added zebra-striped result lists across all sections.

Improved people search with highlighted matching handles.

Added grouped people results by role categories.

Removed outdated manual sorting options.

Added dedicated single-track audio player pages for music search results.

Improved overall readability and visual consistency of the search page.

Added a new database-driven changelog system.

Added automatic changelog grouping by month and year.

Added support for structured changelog sections and ordered items.

Added a first admin interface for creating changelog entries.

Added support for nested bullet-style changelog items using simple text formatting.

Centralized repeated navigation/back-button logic into reusable helper functions.

Improved consistency between old and newly redesigned pages.

Continued modernization of legacy V1-derived pages and interfaces.

Added monthly software popularity tracking with automatic history rotation.

Added new “Most Visited — Current / Previous Month” statistics sections.

Improved card.php layout and readability with aligned metadata rows and zebra-style credit display.

Added support for flexible “extra credits” entries (Sound Effects, Director, Copyright Holder, etc.) linked to both people and companies.

Added dedicated admin tools to manage custom credits safely.

Added soundtrack request statistics to the Community section.

Improved the soundtrack request workflow with a new “Awaiting ID” stage allowing approved requests to be linked directly to their final software page.

Added automatic user notification once a requested soundtrack becomes available on the site.

Performed various visual cleanup and structural refinements across statistics and admin pages.

Expanded the statistics page with many new archive, radio and community statistics.

Added:

Added a sticky navigation menu for quick section access.

Improved statistics page layout and readability.

Added zebra-striped Top 10 lists.

Rebalanced several statistics grids and cards.

Added long-term caching for heavy SQL statistics queries.

Improved overall statistics page responsiveness.

Completely reorganized the statistics page into clearly separated thematic sections for improved readability and navigation.

Added new visual section headers and refined spacing/layout across the entire page.

Reworked statistics lists using aligned label/value layouts with subtle zebra striping for faster reading and reduced visual fatigue.

Improved Top 10 displays with cleaner spacing and properly aligned values.

Added average track duration statistics.

Added playable radio track count and updated radio pool calculations to properly exclude blocked tracks.

Added post-V2 archive growth statistics:

Added media coverage statistics for entries with cover art and screenshots.

Reorganized popularity-related statistics into dedicated sections.

Moved “Best Rated” and “Most Commented” rankings into the Community section for better logical grouping.

Improved readability of Top 10 rankings with aligned counters and cleaner presentation.

Reworked country distribution display for improved alignment and readability while preserving vertical column-based browsing.

Refined responsive behavior and overall visual consistency across the statistics page.

Removed legacy/redundant Top 10 standalone page usage after confirming all statistics rendering is now handled directly inside statistics.php.

Downloads are now more balanced to prevent slowdowns and ensure a better experience for everyone.

Improved stability of the live radio during high activity.

Various minor fixes and improvements across the site.

General server updates and optimizations.

Fixed a bug in the internal search engine that prevented music discs from displaying.

Improved software display logic in Latest Additions page:

Added a dedicated Latest Additions page with full history and pagination.

Introduced category filters (Software, People, Groups, Developers/Publishers).

Added genre filtering for software entries.

Redesigned the Latest Additions section on the homepage using a cleaner grid layout.

Improved readability and visual structure of recent entries.

Added lightweight category icons for better visual identification.

Added navigation enhancements including First / Previous / Next / Last pagination.

Improved consistency with the global dark theme.

Enhanced scanning and accessibility of recent content.

Fixed an issue where consecutive user requests could cause the last track of a request to be replayed unintentionally.

Fixed a related edge case leading to temporary silence during playback when duplicate queue entries occurred.

Improved queue injection logic to prevent duplicate entries when new requests are received during playback.

Added additional safeguards to ensure queue integrity in edge cases.

Internal cleanup of radio queue handling to ensure more reliable behavior under concurrent request scenarios.

Added direct remove buttons for tracks in personal playlists from the user dashboard.

Added direct remove buttons for favorites in the user dashboard.

Improved the visual layout of the favorites section with clearer grouping, better spacing, and zebra-striped rows for easier reading.

Favorites are now sorted alphabetically within each category.

Improved the audio player on software pages by keeping playback controls visible while scrolling through long playlists.

Updated the FAQ content to better reflect the current features of the website.

Added a navigation index to the FAQ page for quicker access to each section.

Added sticky FAQ navigation for improved comfort on long pages.

Improved the presentation of FAQ entries for better readability.

Minor dashboard and interface refinements for better usability and consistency.

Fixed a critical issue where the radio daemon could lose its database context after a MariaDB restart, leading to repeated SQL errors and playback interruptions.

Improved database reconnection logic to ensure a valid connection and active database are always restored automatically.

Enhanced resilience of the radio daemon during temporary database outages.

Internal adjustments to connection handling for better long-term stability of the live radio system.

Added a new Random Playlist Generator page, allowing users to create custom playlists based on duration and content type.

Generated playlists can be played instantly using the integrated audio player.

Introduced a Shuffle mode for user playlists, enabling randomized playback.

Improved overall visual stability of page loading by fixing stylesheet loading order.

Enhanced audio player behavior:

Fixed an issue on the admin users page where pagination could behave inconsistently due to conflicting refresh logic.

Introduced a new “Project Story” page, documenting the full history of Amiga Paradise.

The story covers the project's origins in 1997, early cassette recordings, the first website in 1999, and the evolution into the current platform.

This page provides historical context and insight into the long-term development of the project.

Added a global live radio status bar in the site header, displaying the currently playing track and providing quick access to the live stream.

Introduced a dedicated /live page acting as a stable entry point to the YouTube live stream.

Improved overall integration between the website and the live radio system.

Enhanced user experience by making the live stream more visible and accessible across all pages.

Minor internal optimizations related to live radio data retrieval and caching in the header.

Fixed an issue where the live radio stream could become temporarily silent during track transitions under specific conditions.

Fixed incorrect waiting time estimates when submitting a radio request during special segments.

Improved overall reliability of live stream transitions between tracks.

Refined the request scheduling logic to better reflect actual playback order.

Enhanced accuracy of estimated waiting times for user-submitted requests.

Internal adjustments to the live radio system to improve stability and prevent edge-case conflicts between special segments and user requests.

Introduced a new Live Radio Requests feature, allowing users to submit playlists to be played on the live radio stream.

Added a dedicated public interface to search, select, and submit tracks directly from the database.

Implemented support for custom admin segments, including special titles displayed on the stream overlay.

Added real-time display of “requested by” and special segment titles on the live stream overlay.

Enhanced the radio system to handle user and admin requests with priority-based playback.

Improved queue management for smoother integration of requested tracks into the live stream.

Updated the main navigation menu for better clarity between Soundtrack Requests and Live Radio Requests.

Refined the UI layout of the page selection menu with a consistent multi-column design.

Added an estimated time before live playback after submitting a request.

Introduced a daily quota system for user requests with a small tolerance margin.

Displayed unavailable tracks (already played in the last 24 hours) with clear visual feedback.

Cleaned up and simplified global CSS by removing deprecated menu styles.

Internal improvements to the radio daemon for better reliability and extensibility.

Added a global duration counter for the entire audio library.

Added a “Radio pool” duration showing the total playable content used by the live stream.

Improved radio stability by preventing problematic tracks from being played.

The radio now dynamically adapts its playlist to ensure uninterrupted playback.

Enhanced playlist management to maintain better consistency over long listening sessions.

Improved internal data handling to keep the system lightweight and efficient over time.

Various backend optimizations to ensure long-term reliability of the live radio.

Optimized the live stream overlay to significantly reduce Chromium CPU usage during 24/7 operation.

Simplified the overlay rendering logic and removed unnecessary animated effects.

Reduced visual update frequency to improve long-term stability.

Fine-tuned the video stream settings to lower CPU usage while preserving readability and overall visual quality.

Reviewed long-running server resource usage for the live radio video service.

Improved the stability and efficiency of the server-side stream pipeline for 24/7 broadcasting.

Introduced a fully dynamic radio stream overlay system.

Added real-time “Now Playing” and “Coming Next” sections powered by the radio daemon.

Implemented a live audio progress system with elapsed time, total duration, and progress bar.

Added a rotating information banner with dynamic messages (e.g. uptime, site info).

Improved overall layout and alignment of overlay elements for better visual balance.

Reworked cover image handling with smooth fade transitions between tracks.

Simplified track display by removing inline duration for better readability.

Enhanced background design with a modern Workbench-inspired gradient for improved visual identity.

Optimized visual effects (progress bar, background, transitions) to remain lightweight and stream-friendly at low bitrate.

Reduced unnecessary visual noise to preserve encoding quality and readability.

Improved stability of the 24/7 radio streaming system.

The radio daemon now better handles long runtimes and avoids playback interruptions.

More reliable track sequencing and playback continuity.

Improved database resilience in long-running processes.

Added automatic recovery mechanisms for backend connectivity issues.

Strengthened fallback logic in track selection.

Introduced a fully automated 24/7 live radio system powered by a custom audio daemon.

Added real-time streaming to YouTube using a dynamic web-based overlay.

Implemented a continuous playback system with seamless track transitions (no gaps or latency).

Replaced the previous OBS-based setup with a headless streaming pipeline for improved stability and reliability.

Streaming now runs independently from any graphical environment (no VNC or desktop required).

Automatic restart of the stream after crashes or server reboot.

Server environment cleaned and optimized for long-term unattended operation.

Reduced system dependencies by removing unused graphical components.

Improved overall performance and resource usage during continuous streaming.

Added user audio player options in the dashboard.

Users can now choose whether playlists loop when the last track finishes.

Added selectable audio output modes: Stereo 100% (original), Stereo 75%, Stereo 50%, and Mono.

Audio player preferences are now saved per user and automatically reused across all player pages.

Updated the main software page player, the custom playlist player, and the popup player to respect the selected playback options.

Improved listening comfort for headphone users by allowing reduced stereo separation without modifying the original audio files.

Added safe fallback handling for missing or empty audio option values.

Kept the new player settings compatible with the existing playlist system and current site architecture.

Added support for photo captions on People / Groups pages.

Caption now displayed under profile photos on people.php.

Admin interface updated to manage photo captions directly.

Minor internal adjustments to support the new field in insert/update operations.

Updated the Software Detail Page to display a new “Box Art by” section, with clickable links to illustrator profiles.

Updated the admin workbench to support the new field.

Threaded comments are now available on News posts, with full replies support (including replies to replies).

News comments now trigger notifications:

Admin “Comments Management” now includes a dedicated section for News comments, alongside title page comments.

The dashboard menu system was consolidated to ensure consistent section navigation across all dashboard panels.

Notification indicators were extended:

Notifications are now reliably cleared when users/admins open the relevant comment sections, including News comment threads.

Adjusted the notification logs retention scheduler to prevent unintended log wipes and preserve recent entries.

Database integrity improvements for threaded discussions (better handling of parent/child comment relationships).

Minor internal cleanup and safety checks across comments + notifications endpoints.

Users can now reply directly to existing comments, including replies to replies, enabling real discussion threads.

Visual indentation and subtle background variations were added to clearly distinguish comment hierarchies.

New comment replies now trigger real-time notifications for the concerned users.

Administrators are notified of new comments posted on title pages.

The comments system was internally refactored to support threaded conversations without affecting existing comments.

The Notifications Log now displays both user and admin notifications in a unified view for administrators.

Notifications are automatically marked as read when visiting the relevant sections (comments, admin pages).

Minor internal cleanup and adjustments to ensure consistency between comments, notifications, and dashboard indicators.

Added a real-time notification system for user requests (admin replies & new requests).

Notifications are now displayed directly on the user avatar and relevant dashboard/admin sections.

Introduced a persistent Notifications Log in the user dashboard to keep track of past events.

Notifications are now automatically marked as read when visiting the related section.

Dashboard navigation now supports direct links to specific sections (URL anchors).

Improved reliability and consistency of request-related notifications across the site.

Internal cleanup and refactoring to prepare the notification system for future features (comments, news, etc.).

Added a new Request system allowing users to submit soundtrack requests and report missing tracks.

Requests can be created, edited, and tracked directly from the user dashboard.

Each request displays its current status (Pending / Approved / Rejected) along with any admin reply.

Requests are reviewed manually by the Amiga Paradise team.

Improved dashboard navigation with clearer request history and status indicators.

Internal admin tools were updated to handle request review and moderation.

Added a new Account Info section to the user dashboard (account creation date, masked email, account status, daily download quota usage, favorites, playlist tracks, comments, and ratings).

Improved dashboard readability with better spacing and row styling in the new account table.

Enhanced download management by switching from file-count limits to a fair bandwidth-based daily quota, with accurate logging per user.

Refreshed parts of the admin interface for better usability and maintenance workflows (technical adjustments).

Performed routine server maintenance, including a kernel upgrade and system reboot to ensure the server is fully up to date and stable.

Refactored the dashboard into independent sections for improved maintainability and future expansion

Improved the internal dashboard structure to prepare for upcoming features.

Added a new Dashboard Help page explaining how to use favorites, playlists, profile settings, and account features.

Introduced a “What’s new?” section on the dashboard home, displaying the latest changelog entry.

Centralized and cleaned up the FAQ, removing outdated information and aligning it with current site features

Improved navigation consistency and fixed minor layout inconsistencies across pages.

Improved music downloads: archives are now generated on demand instead of being stored permanently.

Reduced storage usage by removing the need to upload and maintain duplicate ZIP files.

Added clearer error messages when a download cannot be prepared.

Improved user navigation by jumping directly to the Downloads section when an issue occurs.

Added a public History page documenting the evolution of Amiga Paradise.

Improved layout consistency across static pages (FAQ, legal notices, external resources).

Fixed minor CSS issues affecting page alignment and responsiveness.

Updated footer navigation to include direct access to the History page.

Migration of the website to a dedicated server.

Improved overall performance and reliability.

Better handling of emails and notifications.

Security and stability enhancements.

Preparation for long-term maintenance and future growth.

New administration tools for site management.

Improved user management features.

Enhanced download statistics and activity monitoring.

General maintenance tools to help detect and prevent data inconsistencies.

Foundation work for future moderation features.

Improved protection against abusive or invalid actions.

Safer download system.

Better validation of user inputs across the site.

General cleanup and reliability improvements.

Improved handling of edge cases and data consistency.

Introduction of a news system.

Public news pages with structured content.

Comment support on news articles.

Moderation tools for administrators.

Unified visual integration with the rest of the site.

User rating system for software entries.

Per-user ratings with abuse prevention.

Display of average ratings.

Comment system on software pages.

Reporting and moderation tools.

Custom playlists for registered users.

Ability to add and remove tracks.

Drag-and-drop reordering of playlist tracks.

Playlist playback directly on the site.

Playlist management from the user dashboard.

Personal user dashboard.

Profile customization.

Avatar selection.

Favorites system for:

Real-time updates when managing favorites.

User registration and login system.

Email confirmation during registration.

Password recovery via email.

Extended login sessions (“remember me” feature).

Role distinction between regular users and administrators.

Dedicated pages for people and groups.

Developer and publisher listings.

Clear association between software and its creators.

Improved credit visibility (composers, groups, studios).

Visual previews when available.

Integrated audio player.

Multi-track playback for supported entries.

Dynamic playlists generated from available audio files.

Improved handling of missing or incomplete media.

More consistent audio presentation across the site.

Centralized database browsing system.

Alphabetical navigation.

Category-based browsing (games, demos, cracks, music disks).

Sorting and filtering options.

Dedicated detail pages for each software entry.

Complete reboot of Amiga Paradise.

New codebase and modernized architecture.

Unified dark theme.

Reimport and cleanup of historical data.

Public reopening of the website.

First online version of Amiga Paradise.

Public software database.

Early focus on games, demos and scene groups.

Gradual growth until the project went offline.

Beginning of the Amiga Paradise project.

Initial goal: preserve, document and archive Amiga software and music.

Long-term personal project before going online.