Topics

16

BBC BASIC / BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.24a released

« on: August 20, 2021, 05:37:41 PM »

I've released version 1.24a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 - the cross-platform programming language for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi OS, Android, iOS and in-browser.  The changes in this version are as follows:

• BASIC Interpreter / Run Time Engine
  
  Implemented GCOL modes 5-7 (in the web edition these are approximated by the closest available blend modes).
  
  Relative plot commands (e.g. DRAW BY x,y) no longer discard the LS bit of the offsets.
  
  Fixed a memory leak which could occur if you incompletely initialise a string array from a list of literals.
  
  Added macros to support CPUs having strict alignment requirements (e.g. the ARM Cortex-M1).
  
  Updated Emscripten to version 2.0.5 (still old, but recent versions won't run BBC BASIC owing to an SDL threading deadlock).
  
  
• IDEs and Utilities
  
  SDLIDE now captures the mouse while dragging, to avoid an anomaly that could result if the drag continued beyond the edge of the window.  Also fixed another bug affecting dragging.
  
  Fixed Alt+F X (keyboard shortcut for Exit) not working in SDLIDE (oops!).
  
  
• Libraries
  
  Updated ellipse.bbc to support GCOL modes 5-7.
  
  
• Example Programs
  
  There are no changes to the example programs in this release.
  
  

This version may be downloaded, for all the supported platforms, from the usual location.  The GitHub repository has been updated (used to build the MacOS, Raspberry Pi, Android, iOS, 64-bit Linux and in-browser editions, currently).

17

BBC BASIC / BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.23a released

« on: July 09, 2021, 01:19:32 PM »

I've released version 1.23a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 - the cross-platform programming language for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi OS, Android, iOS and in-browser.  The changes in this version are as follows:

• BASIC Interpreter / Run Time Engine
  
  An experimental build for the 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS has been added (with many thanks to Simon Willcocks who wrote the AArch64 assembler which made it possible).  This runs more than twice as fast as the 32-bit Pi OS edition!
  
  On a MODE change, the window will be centered only if it would otherwise extend beyond the edge of the desktop.
  
  If SDL's message system is unavailable (which it currently is on 64-bit Pi OS), fatal errors will be reported in a MODE 7 window.
  
  
• IDEs and Utilities
  
  Extended SDLIDE.bbc so Ctrl+Backspace is delete word left and Ctrl+Delete is delete word right.  Alt (Option) may be used instead of Ctrl, for compatibility with Apple Macs.
  
  Extended the Cross Reference utility to report mismatched quotes, parentheses and braces.
  
  Fixed a couple of minor bugs in the Cruncher, one of which could cause the output file to be larger than it needed to be.
  
  Updated BBCEdit to version 0.38.1, with thanks to Andy Parkes.
  
  
• Libraries
  
  Added msgbox.bbc which provides support for Message Boxes, similar to those available in Windows.
  
  Updated filedlg to save and restore the VDU state (e.g. colours, viewports).
  
  Updated the Box2D libraries to be compatible with the 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS.
  
  Extended sdldebug.bbc and timerlib.bbc to include a 64-bit ARM (AArch64) version of the assembler code.
  
  
• Example Programs
  
  Extended hello.bbc to include a 64-bit ARM (AArch64) version of the assembler code.
  
  Simplified telstar.bbc by using the built-in MODE 7 font in BBCSDL (and MODE7LIB in BB4W).
  
  Updated several examples to replace SDL's message boxes with BBC BASIC-created ones.
  
  

This version may be downloaded, for all the supported platforms, from the usual location.  The GitHub repository has been updated (used to build the MacOS, Raspberry Pi, Android, iOS, 64-bit Linux and in-browser editions, currently).

18

BBC BASIC / BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.22a released

« on: May 28, 2021, 04:56:15 PM »

I've released version 1.22a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 - the cross-platform programming language for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspbian, Android, iOS and in-browser.  The changes in this version are as follows:

• BASIC Interpreter / Run Time Engine
  
  Cmd+left, Cmd+right, Cmd+up and Cmd+down are mapped to Home, End, Ctrl+Home and Ctrl+End, respectively, for improved compatibility with Apple Macs.
  
  In the in-browser edition *RUN now runs JavaScript code (previously it did nothing useful) e.g. OSCLI "window.open(""http://www.rtrussell.co.uk"")"
  
  The QUIT n statement can now accept a parameter of zero (ARM and 64-bit editions only, 32-bit x86 editions always could).
  
  A few performance optimisations have been carried out (e.g. fixing memory alignment issues).
  
  
• IDEs and Utilities
  
  In SDLIDE.bbc Alt+left and Alt+right are mapped to Word Left and Word Right, respectively, for improved compatibility with Apple Macs.
  
  Added a -P command-line switch to SDLIDE.bbc to activate the profiler.
  
  The Android and iOS editions report if a later version is available.
  
  
• Libraries
  
  Changed gleslib.bbc and ogllib.bbc to call glLightfv by address rather than name.
  
  
• Example Programs
  
  Added Newton's Cradle simulation (cradle.bbc in examples/physics).
  
  Bundled the set of instructive Box2D demos in examples/physics/samples (these all use Debug Draw graphics).
  
  Updated sudoku.bbc to add Tidy and New Game options (the difficulty of the generated game is very variable!).
  
  

This version may be downloaded, for all the supported platforms, from the usual location.  The GitHub repository has been updated (used to build the MacOS, Raspbian, Android, iOS, 64-bit Linux and in-browser editions, currently).

19

BBC BASIC / BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.21a released

« on: April 16, 2021, 01:41:25 PM »

I've released version 1.21a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 - the cross-platform programming language for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspbian, Android, iOS and in-browser.  The changes in this version are as follows:

• BASIC Interpreter / Run Time Engine
  
  Mapped keyboard shortcuts Cmd+A, Cmd+C, Cmd+F, Cmd+V, Cmd+X and Cmd+Z to their Ctrl equivalents for improved compatibility with Apple Macs.
  
  Fixed a couple of minor differences between the 32-bit x86 editions and the ARM/64-bit editions.
  
  
• IDEs and Utilities
  
  Added compiler directives to SDLIDE.bbc to simplify building a standalone version in BB4W.
  
  Modified memusage.bbc, profiler.bbc, searchin.bbc and sdldebug.bbc to be compatible with BB4W as well as BBCSDL.
  
  
• Libraries
  
  Added box2ddbg.bbc to support Box2D Debug Graphics, largely compatible with the equivalent BB4W library.
  
  Fixed a bug in box2dlib.bbc affecting Gear Joints on 64-bit platforms.
  
  Fixed a bug in dlglib.bbc causing the trackbar control not to scale to the specified range.
  
  Fixed a bug in treeview.bbc causing mouse clicks not to be reliably detected.
  
  
• Example Programs
  
  Added pinball.bbc (in examples/physics) which demonstrates combining Box2D and 3D rendering.
  
  Added voronoi.bbc (in examples/graphics/) which is another shader demo.
  
  Modified recorder.bbc to increase the range of level adjustment (100% is now 'mid-range').
  
  Modified the other demos in examples/physics to take advantage of the box2ddbg library (press D to display the Debug Graphics).

This version may be downloaded, for all the supported platforms, from the usual location.  The GitHub repository has been updated (used to build the MacOS, Raspbian, Android, iOS, 64-bit Linux and in-browser editions, currently).

20

BBC BASIC / BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.20a released

« on: March 04, 2021, 08:08:19 PM »

I've released version 1.20a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 - the cross-platform programming language for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspbian, Android, iOS and in-browser.  The changes in this version are as follows:

• BASIC Interpreter / Run Time Engine
  
  Fixed FOR...NEXT loops misbehaving with negative non-integer STEP on ARM editions (Raspberry Pi, Android, iOS).
  
  Fixed *KEY not correctly handling strings such as |!|H (ARM and 64-bit editions only).
  
  
• IDEs and Utilities
  
  Fixed compiler.bbc incorrectly crunching structure members in rare circumstances.
  
  Fixed SDLIDE.bbc crashing in MacOS if the Tab key was pressed.
  
  
• Libraries
  
  Modified webgllib.bbc to be 64-bit compatible (it can be used on platforms other than in-browser).
  
  Modified filedlg.bbc so that you can type a full (absolute) path into the File name box.
  
  Modified menulib.bbc so that drop-down menus can be hidden from the menu bar (by setting their title to an empty string).
  
  Fixed editbox.bbc not reliably setting the 'changed' flag, and mispositioning the caret on blank lines.
  
  
• Example Programs
  
  Modified Ceefax.bbc to add function key shortcuts (f1-f4) for the coloured buttons; also fixed a crash if a page number with a leading zero was entered.
  
  Modified sudoku.bbc so the timeout only applies to the 'Count' option, not to 'Solve', so it can solve any puzzle even on slow machines.
  

This version may be downloaded, for all the supported platforms, from the usual location.  The GitHub repository has been updated (used to build the MacOS, Raspbian, Android, iOS, 64-bit Linux and in-browser editions, currently).

21

BBC BASIC / BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.18a released

« on: December 04, 2020, 12:28:38 PM »

I've released version 1.18a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 - the cross-platform programming language for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspbian, Android, iOS and in-browser.  The changes in this version are as follows:

• BASIC Interpreter / Run Time Engine
  
  Added a new command-line switch -borderless to remove the title bar.
  
  Extended the PTR() pseudo-variable (again) to accept a function or procedure name as a parameter.
  
  Fixed an obscure bug which could cause a star-command to crash if within 256 bytes of the end of a library!
  
  
• IDEs and Utilities
  
  Updated BBCEdit to version 0.37.2, which speeds up directory listings when there are many files.
  
  Modified SDLIDE to make the behaviour of Backspace more consistent, for example you can backspace through the line-number field.
  
  
• Libraries
  
  Added Svein's excellent pdflib library for creating PDF files (single A4 page only).
  
  Fixed a bug in aagfxlib causing 'dashed' lines to be sometimes drawn slightly too long.
  
  Modified box2dgfx, imglib, shaderlib and webgllib to clip to the current graphics viewport, if any.
  
  
• Example Programs
  
  Added saa505x.bbc in examples/tools, to demonstrate the different MODE 7 character sets.
  
  Added raytrace.bbc in examples/graphics, another shader demo from Shadertoy.com.
  
  Updated aagfxdem.bbc in examples/graphics, to check that 'dashed' lines are the right length.
  
  

This version may be downloaded, for all the supported platforms, from the usual location.  The GitHub repository has been updated (used to build the MacOS, Raspbian, Android, iOS, 64-bit Linux and in-browser editions, currently).

Please remember that if you use the BBC2APK Android Application Generator you should download a new APK template to ensure that any updates to the run-time engine are incorporated in your own apps.

22

BBC BASIC / BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.17a released

« on: October 23, 2020, 01:48:51 PM »

I've released version 1.17a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 - the cross-platform programming language for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspbian, Android, iOS and in-browser.  The changes in this version are as follows:

• BASIC Interpreter / Run Time Engine
  
  Updated the in-browser (Emscripten / Web Assembly) edition to support shader graphics, 3D graphics and the Box2D physics engine.
  
  Fixed a subtle bug which could cause unwanted behaviour when using ON ERROR LOCAL in nested functions (ARM and 64-bit editions only).
  
  Fixed a one-byte buffer overrun in the *KEY command (ARM and 64-bit editions only).
  
  
• IDEs and Utilities
  
  Updated BBCEdit to version 0.37.1 (with thanks to Andy Parkes); amongst other changes this has a new light-mode option.
  
  Fixed a bug causing the profiler not to work on the Raspberry Pi (D'oh!).
  
  
• Libraries
  
  Added shaderlib.bbc to facilitate writing shader-based programs, and to aid compatibility with the in-browser edition.
  
  Added webgllib.bbc which is substantially compatible with ogllib and gleslib but uses shaders rather than the Fixed Function 3D Pipeline.
  
  Updated some other libraries to improve compatibility with, and performance in, the in-browser edition.
  
  
• Example Programs
  
  Modified Ceefax.bbc (again!) to track changes the BBC is making to its web pages and to improve performance in the in-browser edition.
  
  The shader-based programs (fluid.bbc, mandel.bbc, seascape.bbc, slitscan.bbc) have been re-written to use the shaderlib library.
  
  Updated some other example programs to improve compatibility with, and performance in, the in-browser edition.
  

This new version may be downloaded, for all the supported platforms, from the usual location.  The GitHub repository has been updated (used to build the MacOS, Raspbian, Android, iOS, 64-bit Linux and in-browser editions, currently).

Please remember that if you use the BBC2APK Android Application Generator you should download a new APK template to ensure that any updates to the run-time engine are incorporated in your own apps.

23

BBC BASIC / BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.15a released

« on: September 11, 2020, 04:19:59 PM »

I've released version 1.15a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 - the cross-platform programming language for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspbian, Android, iOS and WebAssembly (Chrome/Edge/Firefox).  The changes in this version are as follows:

• BASIC Interpreter / Run Time Engine:
  
  Added the PTR()= syntax to set the pointer of a structure, array or string.
  
  Extended =PTR() to return the pointer of a structure or array as well as a string.
  
  Added = SYS("function") to return the address of an API function, or zero if it doesn't exist.
  
  Added support for @cmd$ possibly being longer than 255 bytes.
   
  Changed TIME from unsigned to signed, since code like 'T% = TIME' is very common.
  
  Fixed a minor problem with the 'pending newline' mode (VDU 23,16,1|) (needs fixing in BB4W too!).
  
  Fixed a bug (in the 64-bit and ARM editions only) causing assigning a string to a numeric variable not to result in the expected 'Type mismatch' error.
  
  
• IDEs and Utilities:
  
  SDLIDE: Implemented breakpoints, very similar to those in LBB and bbcide (double-click in the left margin to add or remove a breakpoint).
  
  SDLIDE: Enabled the Print option in the File menu and toolbar.  This prints the current program to the default printer.
  
  
• Libraries:
  
  Modified filedlg to fix an incompatibility with *HEX 64 mode.
  
  Modified dlglib to reduce CPU usage when idling, especially when a List Box has the input focus.
  
  Modified socklib to prevent a 'double-free' error if PROC_exitsockets is called twice.
  
  
• Example Programs:
  
  Modified Ceefax.bbc to recognise the word Thunder in the weather description and display the 'storm' indication.
  
  Modified telstar.bbc to include 'ANSItex BBS' in the list of services, and to disable 'pending newline' mode.
  

This new version may be downloaded, for all the supported platforms, from the usual location.  The GitHub repository has been updated (used to build the MacOS, Raspbian, iOS, 64-bit Linux and in-browser editions, currently).

24

BBC BASIC / New: In-browser BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0

« on: August 30, 2020, 07:06:52 PM »

I've built an experimental in-browser (WebAssembly) edition of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 which will currently run in Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome (but not Firefox).  It can be run directly from this link.

There are a number of demo programs included which can be found in the examples/games, examples/general, examples/graphics and examples/sounds directories.  For example:

Code: [Select]

*cd examples/graphics
CHAIN "bounce"

There are some significant limitations, the most serious of which is probably that the GCOL 'logical plotting' modes (AND, OR, EOR) don't work; this is because webgl does not support these operations.  Another limitation is that the SYS statement is not supported.  It's also quite slow!

Currently there is no way to load in your own program(s), that needs to be thought about.  Also, the local filesystem provided by Emscripten is volatile and anything saved there will be lost when you close the browser.

25

BBC BASIC / BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.14a released

« on: August 03, 2020, 10:01:17 PM »

I've released version 1.14a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 - the cross-platform programming language for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspbian, Android and iOS.  The changes in this version are as follows:

• BASIC Interpreter / Run Time Engine
  
  Added a *DUMP command to list the contents of a file in hexadecimal and ASCII.
  
  Suppressed issuing an ON MOVE interrupt if the window size is reported as zero.
  
  Tweaked the 64-bit and ARM editions to improve compatibility with the 32-bit x86 editions, for example Ctrl+U in immediate mode now works as expected.
  
  Fixed a line-editing issue which affected only the Raspberry Pi, because its 'char' datatype is unsigned.
  
  
• IDEs and Utilities
  
  SDLIDE: The links to the website in the Help menu now specify https:// to suppress security warnings from modern browsers.
  
  BBCEdit: Updated to version 0.36.2 (with thanks to Andy Parkes).
  
  
• Libraries
  
  Modified filedlg.bbc so that the file-system root has only one trailing / or \.
  
  Modified dlglib.bbc so input focus isn't acquired by an invisible control, and so textboxes are initially scrolled fully left.
  
  
• Example Programs
  
  Updated SkyBaby.bbc to allow editing (but not deleting) a Custom Place or Custom Object.
  
  Updated telstar.bbc to support direct cursor addressing using the APS command.
  
  

This new version may be downloaded, for all the supported platforms, from the usual location.  The GitHub repository has been updated (used to build the MacOS, Raspbian, iOS and 64-bit Linux editions, currently).

Please remember that if you use the BBC2APK Android Application Generator you should download a new APK template to ensure that any updates to the run-time engine are incorporated in your own apps.

26

BBC BASIC / New: Console Mode editions of BBC BASIC

« on: June 28, 2020, 09:11:49 PM »

By popular request (well, three people!) I have created Console Mode editions of BBC BASIC for MacOS, Linux (64-bit), Windows (64-bit) and Raspbian (32-bit).  These have no graphics and no sound (nor do they support a mouse, joystick etc.) but their text-mode features are reasonably complete, so far as the capabilities of the native console/terminal allow (notably, text viewports are not supported).

You can think of them as BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 with all the SDL stuff removed, and indeed that is effectively how they were created!  Their keyboard input is taken from stdin and their output is sent to stdout so you can use them for CGI applications or effectively as a replacement shell.  Normal shell commands can be issued by preceding them with a * in the usual BBC BASIC way.

These editions consist of compact self-contained executables with no dependencies on any third-party libraries; the BBC BASIC interpreter they contain is identical to that in BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0.  They should be considered as Beta test programs since they have not received extensive testing.  They are, of course, completely free and can be downloaded as follows:

• Windows edition (64-bits)
• MacOS edition (64-bits)
• Linux edition (64-bits)
• Raspbian edition (32-bits)

Supplied with the executables are a small number of BBC BASIC demo programs. Here is the output from 8queens.bbc as seen in the Windows 10 console:

27

BBC BASIC / BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.13a released

« on: June 19, 2020, 04:36:14 PM »

I've released version 1.13a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 - the cross-platform programming language for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspbian, Android and iOS.  The changes in this version are as follows:

• BASIC Interpreter / Run Time Engine
  
  Implemented VDU 23,18,3,n| to enable or disable alpha/graphics black and secondary character set in MODE 7.  It also 'fixes' the SAA5050 Hold Graphics bug.
  
  Implemented OSWORDs 139 & 140 (again!) to read and redefine the 'teletext' font (documented here).
  
  Reduced SOUND latency (which risks buffer underrruns on slow systems, but I hope is a better compromise).
  
  Setting bit 6 of *TEMPO changes the way the pitch envelope repeats to be more compatible with the BBC Micro (it's also now the default).
  
  Fixed a bug affecting 'scrolling' of one-row-high text viewports (64-bit and ARM editions only).
  
  
• IDEs and Utilities
  
  SDLIDE: When loading an Acorn-format tokenised program, 2-byte tokens are automatically converted to their 1-byte equivalent (if any).
  
  SDLIDE: The file selector now uses smooth scrolling.
  
  
• Libraries
  
  Added classlib for Object Oriented Programming, compatible with the BB4W library.
  
  Added mode7lib to support multiple character sets in MODE 7 (the primary and secondary character sets may be selected from English, German, Swedish, Belgian, Italian, Hebrew, Russian, Greek or US ASCII).
  
  Modified dlglib and filedlg to support smooth scrolling of listboxes.
  
  
• Example Programs
  
  Added sortdemo.bbc (in examples/general) which is a graphical demonstration of six different sorting algorithms, adapted from a QuickBasic program.
  
  Added a page to mode7dem.bbc to demonstrate alpha/graphics black and the secondary character set.
  
  Tweaked bbclock.bbc to improve its reliability (previously it could misbehave after running for a few hours).
  
  Fixed telstar.bbc which was partially broken by the change of the MODE 7 font in v1.11a.
  
  

This new version may be downloaded, for all the supported platforms, from the usual location.  The GitHub repository has been updated (used to build the MacOS, Raspbian, iOS and 64-bit Linux editions, currently).

Please remember that if you use the BBC2APK Android Application Generator you should download a new APK template to ensure that any updates to the run-time engine are incorporated in your own apps.

28

BBC BASIC / BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.12a released

« on: May 08, 2020, 05:18:29 PM »

I've released version 1.12a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 - the cross-platform programming language for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspbian, Android and iOS.  The changes in this version are as follows:

• BASIC Interpreter / Run Time Engine
  
  Updated the MacOS edition (only) to SDL 2.0.12 to fix some graphical glitches.
  
  Enabled render batching in the iOS edition (deferred from 1.11a because of a compatibility issue).
  
  Improved the Windows edition's compatibility with the username containing non-ASCII characters.
  
  
• IDEs and Utilities
  
  In the SDLIDE file selector, starting to type the wanted filename scrolls the listbox.
  
  Updated BBCEdit to version 0.34.2 (thanks to Andy Parkes).
  
  Updated touchide to support copying-and-pasting entire directories.
  
  Fixed a memory leak in SDLIDE's Compile utility.
  
  When SDLIDE is used with BBC BASIC for Windows the Compile utility now works (it calls the BB4W compiler).
  
  
• Libraries
  
  Added the imglib library for rotating, scaling and flipping 2D images efficiently (a highly compatible library is also available for BBC BASIC for Windows).
  
  Modified the filedlg library so that starting to type the wanted filename scrolls the listbox.
  
  Added FN_utf8_to_ansi() and FN_ansi_to_utf8() functions to the utf8lib library.
  
  Fixed a bug in the box2dgfx library affecting non-zero y-origin values when PROC_gfxMatrix is used.
  
  
• Example Programs
  
  Added bbclock.bbc (in examples/physics), a graphical Box2D simulation of a 'Ball Bearing Clock'.  This program is compatible with BBC BASIC for Windows if the Box2D libraries are installed.
  
  Added dunebuggy.bbc (in examples/physics), a Box2D demo of a vehicle with sprung suspension.  This program is compatible with BBC BASIC for Windows if the Box2D libraries are installed.
  
  Added kerning.bbc (in examples/general/) to demonstrate the effect of kerning.  This program is compatible with BB4W.
  
  Modified aliens.bbc to use the new imglib library; this also makes it compatible with BB4W, but without hardware acceleration it runs only slowly.
  
  Fixed a bug in SkyBaby.bbc affecting some editions (e.g. Android but not Windows), caused by a surprising anomaly in the 'asctime' and 'mktime' C runtime library routines.
  

This new version may be downloaded, for all the supported platforms, from the usual location.  The GitHub repository has been updated (used to build the MacOS, Raspbian, iOS and 64-bit Linux editions, currently).

29

BBC BASIC / BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.11a released

« on: March 28, 2020, 09:57:11 AM »

I've released version 1.11a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 - the cross-platform programming language for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspbian, Android and iOS.  The changes in this version are as follows:

• BASIC Interpreter / Run Time Engine
  
  Enabled render batching (in SDL 2.0.10 and later) which should improve graphics performance.
  
  Rationalised the VDU variables, e.g. ?444 and @vdu%!248 no longer have their previous functions.
  
  Added @vdu.w{a&,b&,c&,d&}, @size{x%,y%} and @char{x%,y%} to mirror some system variables.
  
  32-bit x86 editions now support the 64-bit indirection operator (]) as 64-bit and ARM editions always have.
  
  VDU 27,n (output symbol for character codes 0-31 and 127) now works in VDU 5 as well as VDU 4 mode.
  
  Changed the default MODE 7 font to be more similar to RISC OS and Matrix Brandy.
  
  Fixed a bug causing BBCSDL not to run properly if the installation path contained a 'dot' character.
  
  
• IDEs and Utilities
  
  Updated BBCEdit to version 0.32.4, which fixes a minor bug in the last release.
  
  Enhanced SDLIDE so that the Tab key inserts eight spaces in the editor.
  
  Fixed a bug in the Compiler utility which could cause crunching to fail with code containing both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of a structure (e.g. box2dlib.bbc is in this category).
  
  Fixed a bug in the Search BASIC Programs utility which could cause it to freeze in rare circumstances.
  
  
• Libraries
  
  The ogllib and gleslib 3D graphics libraries have been modified to improve support for point-source, spot- and directional lights (compatible, as far as I can reasonably achieve, with BB4W).
  
  The ellipse library has been updated to be compatible with 'render batching'.
  
  The dlglib library has minor improvements to the textbox and listbox.
  
  Svein has updated his treeview library to version 3.08, which has improved performance.
  
  
• Example Programs
  
  Added spotlight.bbc in examples/graphics to demonstrate the different light types available in OpenGL.
  
  Added pintograph.bbc in examples/physics, a Box2D simulation of a drawing machine originally by Svein Svensson.  This program is compatible with BB4W if the Box2D libraries are installed.
  
  Added trebuchet.bbc in examples/physics, a Box2D simulation of a trebuchet by David Marples.  This program is compatible with BB4W if the Box2D libraries are installed.
  
  Modified getri.bbc to report whether render batching is enabled.
  
  Updated tower.bbc to ensure compatibility with render batching.
  

This new version may be downloaded, for all the supported platforms, from the usual location.  The GitHub repository has been updated (used to build the MacOS, Raspbian, iOS and 64-bit Linux editions, currently).

Please remember that if you use the BBC2APK Android Application Generator you should download a new APK template to ensure that any updates to the run-time engine are incorporated in your own apps.

30

BBC BASIC / BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.10a released

« on: February 15, 2020, 02:35:45 PM »

I've released version 1.10a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 - the cross-platform programming language for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspbian, Android and iOS.  The changes in this version are as follows:

•   BASIC Interpreter / Run Time Engine
  
  Bundled the Box2D physics engine (as famously used by the Angry Birds games) with all editions.
  
  Fixed a bug causing ON GOTO statements to be incorrectly tokenised (64-bit and ARM editions only).
  
  Improved plotting accuracy of 'thick' diagonal lines, outline circles and outline ellipses.
  
  Updated the Android edition to SDL 2.0.10.  This has necessitated moving to a different build process (Android Studio) meaning you will need to uninstall then reinstall; see below.
  
  
•   IDEs and Utilities
  
  Updated BBCEdit to version 0.32.3, many thanks to Andy Parkes for this new release.
  
  Fixed a minor problem in SDLIDE with pasting Unicode text containing the à (a-grave) character.
  
  Fixed a bug in the Compiler utility which could cause creation of an app bundle to fail on MacOS if the installation path contains a space character.
  
  Modified the List Variables utility so that a mouse right-click clears the listbox selection.
  
  
•   Libraries
  
  Added box2dlib.bbc and box2dgfx.bbc to support the Box2D physics engine.
  
  Fixed a bug in dlglib.bbc which affected the 'Save As' dialogue in SDLIDE, also improved operability by the Amazon Fire TV remote.
  
  
•   Example Programs
  
  Added kaleidoscope.bbc in examples\graphics, adapted from David Williams's BB4W demo.
  
  Added three Box2D demonstration programs in examples\physics; these are also compatible with BBC BASIC for Windows if the Box2D libraries are installed:
  
   crates.bbc:  Falling boxes; on mobile devices tilting the screen has an interesting effect!
   dangle.bbc:  Touch the screen or use the mouse to grab the chain; also responds to tilting.
   lotto.bbc:   A simulation of a lottery selection machine.  Sorry, there's no prize if you win!
  

This new version may be downloaded, for all the supported platforms, from the usual location.  The GitHub repository has been updated (used to build the MacOS, Raspbian, iOS and 64-bit Linux editions, currently).

If you are using the iOS edition you should install this latest release to update the certificate, otherwise BBC BASIC will stop working when the current certificate expires on 23rd February.

If you are using the Android edition you will need to uninstall the previous version before installing this one.  Please check whether you have any personal files or folders stored in @usr$ and back them up (e.g. via a USB connection to a PC) so you can restore them after re-installation.

Please remember that if you use the BBC2APK Android Application Generator you should download a new APK template to ensure that any updates to the run-time engine are incorporated in your own apps.