MPE VFX Forth for Windows, Linux, Mac & DOS - Release Notes =========================================================== Copyright (c) 1999-2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022 MicroProcessor Engineering Ltd. 133 Hill Lane Southampton SO15 5AF England tel: +44 (0)23 8063 1441 +44 (0)78 0390 3612 net: mpe@mpeforth tech-support@mpeforth.com web: www.mpeforth.com ****************************************************** PLEASE READ THIS FILE, YOU MAY REGRET IT IF YOU DO NOT ****************************************************** This file can be found in the installation under the name RELEASE.VFX.TXT within the DOCS directory. It provides a reverse chronological list of changes made between released builds of the VFX Forth system from release 5.00 onwards. Release notes for earlier versions are in Release.VFX4.txt and RELHIST.VFX.TXT. These notes are common for all versions - Windows, Linux, OS X and DOS. The build numbers refer to the Windows version. Executable file names ===================== Binary file names are of the form: VfxForth__. e.g. VfxForthK_x86_win.exe Where: = null for main binary = K for kernel = KH for high kernel (for shared library builds) = B for base version (Windows only) = x86 for 32 bit Intel/AMD i32 = x64 for 64 bit AMD/Intel = arm for 32 bit ARM CPUs = arm64 for 64 bit ARM/Cortex CPUs = win for Windows = mac for macOS = lin for Linux = exe for Windows PE files = elf for Unix/Linux ELF files = mo for Mach-O files The installer script should produce a short cut of vfxforth or VfxForth for Windows, vfxlin or vfxforth for x86 Linux, and vfxosx or VfxForth for Windows for macOS. The Windows installer adds the relevant path to the system path. 5.20.3828 ARM Lin 350 17 Oct 2022 ======================== KERNEL ------ ARM: Corrected FP locals and FP Externs. LIB and STUDIO -------------- EXAMPLES -------- DOC --- Manual rebuilt by release script. TOOLS ----- 5.20.3828 21 June 2022 ======================== KERNEL ------ Arm32Lin: Permitted FPSYSTEM = 2 or 3 in Externs. Added F+! and F-! to VFP64S.fth Fixed FP locals. Corrected /TIMEVAL structure Arm32Lin: Added MICROSLEEP ( us -- ) which delays for us microseconds. See WinTools.fth. For other operating systems use the NANOSLEEP function. LIB and STUDIO -------------- EXAMPLES -------- DOC --- Manual rebuilt by release script. TOOLS ----- 5.20.3828 20 March 2022 ======================== KERNEL ------ WIN: Added MICROSLEEP ( us -- ) which delays for us microseconds. See WinTools.fth. For other operating systems use the NANOSLEEP function. LIB and STUDIO -------------- EXAMPLES -------- DOC --- Manual rebuilt by release script. TOOLS ----- 5.20.3797 24 June 2021 ======================= KERNEL ------ 5.20.3797 24 June 2021 ======================= KERNEL ------ ARM: Added more cache flushing to multitasker and PATCHXT. ARM: Corrected PATCHJUMP. ARM: Corrected compilation of Externs not always saving LR. Corrected COMPILE, for NDCS words. Added anonymous nested definitions using [: ... ;] Corrected bug which prevents stack items calculated during command line evaluation being passed to the system. LIB and STUDIO -------------- EXAMPLES -------- DOC --- Manual rebuilt by release script. TOOLS ----- 5.11.3795 29 April 2021 ======================== KERNEL ------ Corrected bug which prevents stack items calculated during command line evaluation being passed to the system. Corrected the primitive for RAMDOM number generation. It now uses a Marsaglia method. LIB and STUDIO -------------- EXAMPLES -------- DOC --- Manual rebuilt by release script. TOOLS ----- 5.11.3793 23 February 2021 =========================== KERNEL ------ LIB and STUDIO -------------- EXAMPLES -------- Updated (and used) Gerry Jackson test suite in Examples/tests DOC --- Manual rebuilt by release script. TOOLS ----- 5.11.3792 22 October 2020 ========================== KERNEL ------ Arm: Updated ExternEABI.fth for floats and additional initialisation. LIB and STUDIO -------------- OSX32: Second update of Cocoa interface OSX32: Updated Cocoa interface EXAMPLES -------- DOC --- Manual rebuilt by release script. TOOLS ----- 5.11.3788 22 July 2020 ======================= KERNEL ------ LIB and STUDIO -------------- EXAMPLES -------- DOC --- Manual rebuilt by release script. TOOLS ----- 5.11.3787 8 April 2020 ======================= KERNEL ------ Switched to the simple version of recognisers in which all recognisers handle their own POSTPONE actions. Removed the DEFERred words CEXECUTE and CUNDEFINED LIB and STUDIO -------------- Fixed the POSTPONE action of the floating point packs. EXAMPLES -------- Win: Reconfigured Examples\Win32\FCOM to use recognisers. DOC --- Manual rebuilt by release script. TOOLS ----- 5.11.3772 13 February 2020 =========================== KERNEL ------ Win: Corrected console initialisation of background colour. Added NEXT-NAME ( -- caddr u), a multi-line version of PARSE-NAME. LIB and STUDIO -------------- Mac: Updated release scripts. Mac: New Cocoa and MFonVFX changes. EXAMPLES -------- DOC --- Manual rebuilt by release script. TOOLS ----- The cross-compilers for rebuilding the VFX Forth kernels are available from the MPE web site. The binaries only are in the Bin folder. 5.11.3751 20 December 2019 =========================== We have gone back to a single version. The Community and Commercial versions are separated only by the licence terms. The system is run by typing at the command line: Windows: vfxforth or VfxForth macOS: vfxosx x86 Linux: vfxlin ARM Linux: vfxarmlin Mac: New Cocoa and MFonVFX changes. The macOS version is a 32 bit app and does not work on OS/X 10.15 Catalina. We're working on it. 5.10.3749 6 November 2019 ========================== KERNEL ------ Cross compilers rebuilt on VFX 5.1. LIB and STUDIO -------------- Mac: New Cocoa and MFonVFX changes. EXAMPLES -------- DOC --- Manual rebuilt by release script. TOOLS ----- The cross-compilers for rebuilding the VFX Forth kernels are in Tools/XCompilers/. 5.10.3723 12 October 2019 ========================== KERNEL ------ Fixed SKIP-SIGN for LEN=0. X86: Enhanced disassembler for NDCS/DUAL words. Added LS" and ZLS" which support strings with a 16 bit count. When parsing the string may extend over many lines and the line feeds are ignored. Added $CREATE-IN ( caddr len wid -- ) which creates a word of the given name in the given wordlist. Added VFXBase/gentools.fth which contains tools requested by clients and the C header file helper words. The v5.1 update has a interpreter loop that uses the fashionable recognizer technique. The details of the implementation are likely to change with impending standardisation efforts. LIB and STUDIO -------------- The Lib/oop/CIAO and Lib/oop/ClassVFX OOP packages have been updated to use recognisers. EXAMPLES -------- DOC --- Manual rebuilt by release script. TOOLS ----- Previous release notes are in Release.VFX4.txt. 5.00.3672 24 August 2018 ========================= KERNEL ------ v5 update supports the NDCS view of the Forth kernel. See www.mpeforth.com/arena/SpecialWords3.pdf Removed obsolete words including: APPENDZ (") COMPILE LIB and STUDIO -------------- Updated Lib/DocGen4.fth for Texinfo hyperlinks. Mac: New Cocoa release from Roelf Toxopeus. New fJACK interface from Hanno Schwalm. EXAMPLES -------- DOC --- Manual rebuilt by release script. TOOLS ----- Previous release notes are in Release.VFX4.txt.