Re: [BLACKBOX] BlackBox 1.6 final version?

Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 06:30:33 +0200
From: Marc Frei
Subject: Re: [BLACKBOX] BlackBox 1.6 final version?
To: BLACKBOX@LISTS.OBERON.CH

Dear Marc,

thanks for asking about the final release of BlackBox 1.6. I know it has been a long time since releasing 1.6-rc5.

Unfortunately there are still a few changes we would like to include into the final version of 1.6. Apart from improved handling of Unicodes in the text subsystem, for example, we had to slide in another set of changes to the object file format in order to correct problems with the consistency checks that occur when modules are loaded into the BlackBox runtime. Much to our regret this has the unpleasant consequence that you will have to re-compile all your existing modules in order to use them with the future final version of BlackBox 1.6. We really hope this will be the last release for a long time in which we have to change the object file format. But since we are not yet absolutely certain on whether our currently internal release candidate will keep this promise, we did not release it officially yet. For anyone who wants to try it anyway: Please find the most recent release of BlackBox (1.6-rc6) at

http://www.oberon.ch/zip/SetupBlackBox16-rc6.exe

A list of changes since 1.6-rc5 is attached further below in this message.

Apart from these critical and unfortunately breaking changes we are currently working on a list of some 30 open points. Once we will have closed enough of these pending issues, we will finally release 1.6. That is our current plan. But as explained a few times before on this list, due to the scarce resources available to us, we really cannot make any commitments regarding a timeline.

Thanks again and kind regards,

Marc

Oberon microsystems AG
www.oberon.ch
+41 (0)44 445 17 51

Changes for release 1.6-rc6 since 1.6-rc5:

Dev/Docu/P-S-I
- 20070509, mf, cleanup of example on how to use COM without the Direct-To-COM compiler
- 20070521, mf, minor correction
Dev/Mod/CPB
- 20080202, bh, Real constant operations corrected (proposed by Robert Campbell)
Dev/Mod/CPE
- 20070816, bh, ProcTyp inserted in base type handling in PrepDesc
- 20080202, bh, Real comparison corrected in AllocConst (proposed by Robert Campbell)
Dev/Mod/CPM
- 20080208, bh, file checksum for symbol files
Dev/Mod/CPT
- 20080208, bh, file checksum for symbol files
- 20080213, bh, pvfp and pbfp calculation in FPrintStr corrected
Dev/Mod/Profiler
- 20070523, ie, ShowProfile: calculation of samples in profiled modules corrected
Docu/Contributors
- 20080904, mf, Updated
Docu/Tut-5
- 20080904, et, ObxCount1: condition for loop termination corrected
Form/Docu/Cmds
- 20080904, et, Duplication eliminated
Form/Mod/Controllers
- 20080904, mf, StdController.IsSelected: conformance with contract improved
Host/Mod/Fonts
- 20070827, bh, improved short character handling in Font.*Tab
- 20070827, bh, DevFont.wTab added
Host/Mod/PackedFiles
- 20080829, mf, PackedDirectory.Old: success/error handling corrected
Host/Mod/Ports
- 20070827, bh, improved width and figureSpace handling in long string ops
Host/Mod/Registry
- 20070510, mf, WriteString: call to RegSetValueW corrected 
Host/Mod/Windows
- 20080119, bh, handling of minimized windows corrected
Obx/Docu/Scroll
- 20080905, dd, Properties.ScrollMsg replaced by Controllers.ScrollMsg
Obx/Mod/Count1
- 20080904, et, Condition for loop termination corrected
Obx/Mod/Stores
- 20080905, dd, Node.CopyFrom: case (source.a = NIL) corrected
Sql/Docu/Db
- 20080904, et, Typos corrected
Sql/Docu/Dev-Man
- 20080904, et, Typos corrected
Std/Mod/Api
- 20080317, mf, OpenBrowser: allowDuplicates parameter set to TRUE in call to StdDialog.Open
System/Mod/Converters
- 20071109, bh, Converter search in Import corrected
System/Mod/Kernel
- 20080107, bh, full GC included in NewBlock
- 20080107, bh, pointer anchoring bug corrected in NewRec & NewArr
Text/Docu/Controllers
- 20080904, et, Postcondition for SetDir corrected
Text/Docu/Models
- 20080904, et, Postcondition for SetDir added
Text/Docu/Rulers
- 20080904, et, Postcondition for SetDir corrected
Text/Docu/Setters
- 20080904, et, Precondition for Setter.ConnectTo corrected
- 20080904, et, Postcondition for SetDir corrected
Text/Docu/Views
- 20080904, et, Postcondition for SetDir corrected
Text/Mod/Rulers
- 20080904, et, Precondition check 21 in SetDir corrected
Text/Mod/Setters
- 20070820, bh, Reader.sString eliminated
Text/Mod/Views
- 20070820, bh, TextSetters.Reader.sString, cache.short, cache.sbuf, & CacheSString eliminated
Win/Mod/Api
- 20070510, mf, RegSetValueExW corrected
Win/Mod/Sql
- 20080227, wb, Constants for ODBC 3.0 added
- 20080309, wb, SQLGetConnectAttr added

ai = Alexander Iljin
bh = Beat Heeb, Oberon microsystems
cp = Cuno Pfister, Oberon microsystems
dd = Doug Danforth
et = Eugene Temirgaleev
ie = Ilya Ermakov
jt = Josef Templ
kds = Koen Desaeger
mc = Marco Ciot
mf = Marc Frei, Oberon microsystems
wb = Werner Braun

> —–Original Message—–
> From: BlackBox On Behalf Of
> Marc Martin
> Sent: Freitag, 19. Juni 2009 20:02
> To: BlackBox List
> Subject: [BLACKBOX] BlackBox 1.6 final version?
>
> Hi all,
>
> I see that Blackbox 1.6 has been in beta release / final
> candidate stage for quite a long time… I'm wondering if we
> will ever see a final version of 1.6? And if so, are there
> any advance plans for what changes might be in store for any
> versions after that?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Marc