New Features in ST/X
This page lists new major features which may be of interest in chronological order.
Minor enhancements, features and fixes are not listed here.
Major bug fixes are listed in the ``Release Notes''.
Rel5.3.1
- New class library naming scheme
- many more project support functions in the browser
- support for the generation of deployment packages
- Win32: native printing support
- Win32: some fixes for dual screen operation
- new external library function binding mechanism supported by stc
Rel5.2.9
- Glorp update (0.4)
- new external library function binding mechanism
- generate makefiles from the browser
Rel5.2.8
- Browser: some refactorings on SHIFT-code-menu; better project support; build features
- MenuEditor: added menuSlices.
- SharedPool support added.
Rel5.2.7
- Notebook/TabView: destroy buttons
- ImageEditor: can edit trueColor bitmaps
- WebServer: FCGI support
- ODBC support bugfixed and improved (threaded, nonBlocking API for Win32)
- Sort functions in all editors (more->tools->sort menu item)
- Win32: Mozilla & IE browser plugin support
- Linux: Mozilla browser plugin support
Rel5.2.6 - official release
The first "non-beta" win32 release.
- Bug fixes in the Windows version: sockets, externalStream and hostName code fixed;
cleanup when interrupting/aborting threaded API-calls.
- Bug fixes in the VM dynamic library loading code
Rel5.2.5
- SharedPools are now supported (added to allow easier porting of non-ST/X Smalltalk code).
- STT can be configured for either Squeak- or ST/X-dialect code syntax
- First partial support for native win32 widgets (for now, only ScrollBars)
- Support undecorated and toolBar window styles (win32)
See examples in
TopView class >> examples.
- Button and focus event handling fixes in the win32 version
- Better win-XP look
Rel5.2.2
- MenuSlices added.
- SHIFT-middleButtonMenu in browser's codeView added (variable-rename etc.)
Rel5.2.1
- Unicode support.
- Damage event handling improved.
- xpSwiki added to webServer.
- FileBrowser improved (is now almost a usable unicode editor !)
Rel5.1.6
- HTTPServer/HTTPService: reply generation via a presenter for flexible layout of (corporate identity).
- Bug fixes in the Windows version: blocking api-call interrupt handling,
exception handling (SEGV).
- FontPanel fixed and enhanced; Font handling and unicode support enhanced.
- Bug fixes in 32bit File-I/O API (seek, stat, etc.); added support for 64 bit API.
Rel5.1.5
- More HTTPServer tuning, refactoring & improvements.
SWIKI can now be linked anywhere below the servers root
(books had to be under "/" before). Swikis can now even be linked deep
inside a fileServices tree.
Swiki Service has now only one link name and all of its books are below that.
CGI callout support.
HTTP Utilities: a page counter
- Bug fixes in the Windows version: command-execution, redraw bug, drag&drop, handle leak.
Rel5.1.4
- HTTPServer url Parameter and post data field values are in a collection
- HTTPServer performance tuning.
- STC compiler generates new (more compact) code for literal arrays
- More refactorings in the HTTPService hierarchy.
- Multipane Terminal Application.
Rel5.1.3 - internal (tag only) release
Rel5.1.2 - official release
- Mostly bug fixes, enhancements and code cleanup.
- SIXX (XML-Object exchange) package ported (2 testCases still fail).
Rel5.1.1
- Stream positioning is now 0-based.
For backward compatibility, position1Based/position0Based methods are still provided.
- Class layout changed (removed unused slots)
- Number class LongFloat (80/128 bit floats) now fully implemented on systems which offer extended floats.
- SmaCC Compiler-Compiler fully working, including UI.
- Much improved HTTPServer:
- better framework for http-services; common handling of action-services and PWS-services.
- allow to start the same service twice under different link names.
- read header and process requests in separate threads.
- new services: WebSlides, SourceCode Access, DemoShop
- Comanche STT support (Smalltalk Templates)
- RDoit supports Unix domain sockets.
- RBFormatter fixed to better handle comments (still not perfect, but much better)
- NewSystemBrowser: many improvements: code search, multi-var search, multi-sender search,
selective rewrite when renaming a method.
Incremented the major version number, because we (finally) changed stream positioning to be 0-based.
This could lead to incompatibilities with some programs.
Rel4.1.9
- Restructuring of the HTTPServer and friends; now HTTPServices are much easier to add/remove.
Also, the ST/X homePage, maintenance etc. are plugged services and easier to configure.
- Much better HTTPServer administration in the Launchers settings dialog
- XML-Xpath and XSL support
Rel4.1.8
- Tuning in the NewSystemBrowser
- ported the ComancheSwiki from Squeak. This is now the default Swiki offered in the ST/X-HTTPServer.
Rel4.1.7 - official release
Incremented the version number, since there were two major bug fixes in
the VM and the Semaphore handling, which could lead to crash/blocking in certain situations.
Rel4.1.6
- More examples on how to generate stand alone (also: headless) applications are provided
under the projects directory. To start, look at
"projects/helloWorld"
.
Sorry windows users: we do not (yet) provide the makefiles for non-unix systems - win32 users who want to
generate binares have to wait or manually create a makefile.
- SOAP package included
- Another XML parser: YAXO
- HTTP-Server can now be started multiple times (for example, to allow for HTTP
SWIKI and SOAP to be served on different ports.
- improved (pluggable) settings dialog
Rel4.1.5
This is mostly a cleanup version - no fundamentally new feature was added;
However, many fixes have been applied to make the widgets and tools (even) more useful.
- regex package upgraded (see RxParser whatsNewInThisRelease)
- cleanup, bug fixes and added features in the NewSystemBrowser
- many bug fixes in various widgets
- view style beautifications for winXP
- textDrag from/to textViews (with or without CTRL-key)
- delayed menu (stay pressed on the Launchers SystemBrowser Icon...)
- improved FileBrowser, MenuEditor, BitmapEditor
- improved Workspace (automatic WorkspaceVariables)
Rel4.1.4
- flyByHelp support
- codeView menus reorganized
- fixed win32 stc flags for accepting primitives in the browser (for borland-c)
- MethodFinder ported from Squeak (see Launchers Classes-Special Menu)
- win32 version now correctly handles stack overflow (recursion interrupts)
- more browser and changeSet enhancements
- accept: remove unused vars; declare inst & class vars.
- win32 wrap-call fixes (more non blocking API calls)
- win32 display improvements & resize bug fixes (minimize/maximize)
Rel4.1.3 - official release
Rel4.1.2 - published
- MenuPanel got scroll-buttons (and therefore also: ComboBox and ComboList)
- ChangeBrowser & ChangeSetBrowser enhanced; multiple select, main menu etc.
- Workspace enhanced; main menu, mult-pages, embedded inspect etc.
- old SystemBrowser: added a main menu (to make switch to newBrowser easier)
- stc VW compatibility fix: correctly scans float constants with embedded d (i.e. 1.0d100)
Rel4.1.1
Major release bumped due to changes in the internal object layout (flag bits changed).
Previous binary code class libraries are not guaranteed to be compatible.
- 16bit unicode string support for win32 version
- can be compiled/used with the free borland compiler tools (bcc55)
- can now be executed multiple times under win32
- winstx.exe (non-console version of stx.exe) works again (win32 only)
- save a crash-image on SIGPWR signal (unix only)
- scripting support. You can now use smalltalk/x scripts much
like tcl, awk, perl or any other scripting language (see README_ALSO and demos in goodies/rdoit).
- SourceCodeManager supports multiple CVS repositories
- new, much improved New System Browser (enable via the settings-tools menu)
- SUnit testframework GUI (thanks to Samuel, Travis, Kent and the Camp Smalltalk people)
- Original RefactoringBrowser is almost working (but have a look at the ''New System Browser'' ...)
- new tool: SnapShotImageBrowser - allows old images to be browsed (see FileBrowsers Tools Menu)
- fixes and changes for hpux XServer settings
- hpux version tuned & fixed
- new oracle8i interface library
- exceptionHandling (class based exceptions, VW compatibility)
- additional widget functionality & GUI builder attributes (snap in VariablePanel, menu for Labels, many additional channels and callBacks)
- great new goody: Chicks-Eyes; you must have it ! ;-) [see Launcher-Demos-SimpleAnimations menu]
Rel3.6.4 - published
Rel3.6.3
- new menuBuilder attributes: 'hideAfterActivation' & 'busyCursorDuringActivation'
- arbitraryComponent - supports pluggable aspects (see GUI builders subAspects sections
and "Component plugin scheme")
- subCanvas - supports pluggable aspects (see GUI builders subAspects sections
and "Component plugin scheme")
- noteBook - better tabbing and acceleratorKey support; more control over look in GUI builder
- compatibility - more VW compatibility (for RefactoryBrowser)
- code formatter (ported from RefactoryBrowser) almost usable ;-)
- some additional goodies added to the browser and guiPainter
- ST/X finally got a splash image (under unix) !; can be changed or disabled
via the "showBanner.rc"/"hideBanner.rc" scripts.
Rel3.6.2 - eXept customer release
Rel3.6.1 - published
Rel3.5.6
- ROSE-MDL Parser and class-code generator added
Rel3.5.5
- new file organization scheme - resources, bitmaps and sources
are now located under the corresponding packages directory
(/opt/smalltalk/packages/xxx).
This avoids conflicts, when the same name appears in multiple packages.
- integrated Java virtual machine support and support classes.
See Java support for more details.
- AddOn packages for Cryptography,
and Smartcard interfacing
are now available as extra (non-free) addOn packages.
- started to port the RefactoryBrowser - not yet finished, but provided "as is" for hacking.
- started to add some Squeak compatibility support - not yet finished
- started to port the squeak morphic package - not yet finished, but provided "as is" for hacking.
Rel3.5.4
- much improved Make.proto, Makefile etc. generation (for stc compilation of class libraries).
- first preRelease of the ProjectBrowser available.
- XML parser ported to ST/X.
- mouseWheel support under windows; slow scroll with SHIFT+wheel, fast scroll with CTRL+wheel.
Rel3.5.3
- Added support for class-based exceptions. Started to convert existing signal code.
Tuned the exception code to avoid generating throw-away full blocks.
- Ported the PluggableWebServer code to run with HTTPServer (see PWS namespace).
The HTTPServer is a merged version of the
Squeak WebServer and our own old HTTPServer class, which supports both built-in and plugged actions,
keepAlive connections, file access with file caching, temporary links and
improved error handling (see WWW Server documentation).
- The ChangeBrowser is now able to show a Squeak sourceFile.
- New improved VersionDiffBrowser, which shows changes on a per-method
basis (the old diff displayed the whole-class diffs)
- New improved replacement classes for ListView, SelectionInListView and TreeView:
ListModelView, SelectionInListModelView and HierarchicalListView.
Rel3.5.2
- TDV (Technical Data Viewer) 3D data visualization framework
- OpenGL interface library
- Workspace variables
- Immediate selector checks - checks for valid message selector,
while you type (must be enabled in the settings-source&debugger dialog)
- AddOn packages for ASN1-Parsing,
OSI-ROSE
and OSI-CMIS
protocols are now available
as extra (non-free) addOn packages.
- Tuned LargeInteger arithmetic (had to do some cryptographic stuff).
- Changed (& fixed) the keyboardFocus handling.
It is now possible, to configure either focus-follows-mouse or click-to-focus
mode from the launchers misc-settings menu.
Rel3.5.1
- ExternalTopWindow Support - allows ST/X to play in a window
provided by another (non smalltalk) application.
- New widget: Extended ComboBox.
- Bug fixes & enhancements in the Image Editor
Rel3.4.9
- New widgets: PieChartWidget, BarChartWidget, MeterClackCounter.
- More FileBrowser functions;
- Additional tools & goodies: Telnet goody; Shell Terminal;
- better search functions in the systemBrowser;
- enhanced dataSet widget.
Rel3.4.8
- Support for CType class hierarchy and CParser to read C-language include files
(available as addOn for the full commercial version)
- UserAbort key (CTRL-Y) to interrupt a window-process without entering
the debugger.
Rel3.4.5
- Beta JIT-compiler support released for alpha and mc68k CPU's.
The alpha JIT-compiler is a preRelease and does not generate optimized
code (yet).
This is the first and final version, which supports JIT-compilation
for the mc68k - it will no longer be maintained in the future.
Rel3.4.4
Rel3.4.3
- the JIT-compiler is now released for sparc, mips and i386 CPU's.
JIT support for other architectures (hppa, alpha, rs6k & 68k) is implemented,
but not yet released.
Rel3.4.2
- the VM now understands Java bytecodes and dynamically switches to Java
execution, when a java-encoded method is encountered. However,
the Java support system is not delivered with the standard system - it will be
available soon as an add-on package.
- very useful "ref chains" menu item in the memoryUsage monitor,
to find object references
(i.e. to answer the question: "why is this instance not garbage collected").
- new widgets to display a collection of graphs in either 2D or 3D style.
Rel3.4.1
- the launcher has been rewritten using the GUI painter tool and can
be opened via the "New Launcher" menu item in the (old launchers)
"tools" menu.
- improved GUI painter & associated tools (MenuEditor, ImageEditor ...).
- editTextViews can be configured to simulate other cursor editors behavior
which cannot be positioned past the end of a line or past the last line of the text.
- panels can be configured to ignore invisible components
- more file formats supported in image save functions. (PBM, GIF and BMP)
Rel3.3.2
- the GUI menu builder is now included as a preliminary beta version.
Similar to the GUI builder in operation, this allows menus to be defined
and installed interactively.
- the HTML Viewer now supports jis and big5 fonts (japanese & chinese encodings).
The documentation includes a japanese top page for demonstration.
Rel3.3.1
Copyright ? 1996 Claus Gittinger Development & Consulting, all rights reserved
Copyright ? 2003 eXept Software AG, all rights reserved
<info@exept.de>