PowerBASIC 10

Patrice Terrier · December 24, 2010, 07:30:10 PM

I am glad to see the PB's announcement for version 10.

I re-read the gazette several times for my pleasure, looking at some of the features i have been waiting for long.

This is a very good step forward, even if i couldn't find anything about 64-bit.

Thank you Bob and Co.

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Peter Weis · December 24, 2010, 08:40:59 PM

Hi Patrice,

Has a bit more what the version is 10 more. Kan man they order but I would not yet buy a pig in a poke

Regards Peter

José Roca · December 24, 2010, 10:25:42 PM

I wholeheartedly recomend it. It's a major update, and I know of what I'm talking.

My two major requests, native unicode support and dead code removal, have been implemented in a way far superior of what you can see elsewhere, even better than I expected, and Bob knows that my requests where high, yet clear and concise knowing that what I was requesting was possible and not an unrealistic dream.

Dead code removal has allowed me, for example, to write and include file with wrappers for every and each one OpenGL extensions (1,720, no less), and only the ones called will add code to your application.

Besides helping testing the compilers, I have been working very hard in a new version of my Windows API Headers (updated to the latest Windows 7 SDK) that allow to work with unicode transparently, just by defining %UNICODE = 1.

I also have written a new brand editor, CSED, a new version of my TypeLib Browser and several templates, and I'm working in documenting my wrapper functions and classes.

I will open a new subforum because these new headers can only be used with the new compilers.

I'm very happy because I finally can do low-level COM programming without having to use workarounds. Null terminated unicode strings where much needed for this work.

Edwin Knoppert · December 24, 2010, 11:03:05 PM

A few important wishes became true.
Static linking (with optimization!)
Dead code.., oh well certainly benefitial.
Unicode, yes that would be nice in a few/many cases.

It is a lot of work but weren't there more things being upgraded?
DDT and controls or so?

José Roca · December 25, 2010, 01:58:41 AM

Oh, yes, but the list is very long and I'm not going to unveil anything that has not been unveiled by Bob first.

Patrice Terrier · December 25, 2010, 08:43:58 AM

I wonder if the new ".SLL" extension (static linking) is compatible with the Microsoft LIB/OBJ standard?

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Edwin Knoppert · December 25, 2010, 10:38:09 AM

No, of course not Jose.
During my post i wasn't aware that it wasn't ready yet

Theo Gottwald · December 26, 2010, 04:28:50 PM

For me the same. When i got that mail, i really thought "Yeah now i can get it !!!".
Then i read that its just a Pre-Sales and this means it can take a month until the final is here.

Anyway, i have placed my order so i'll be one of the first.After my order is filled, you can all apply for your copy.

José Roca · December 26, 2010, 05:13:21 PM

Theo, please don't use glow in your posts. The results are very ugly and annoying to people that use a decent explorer instead of IE.

Aslan Babakhanov · December 27, 2010, 09:25:14 AM

Quote from: Patrice Terrier on December 25, 2010, 08:43:58 AM
I wonder if the new ".SLL" extension (static linking) is compatible with the Microsoft LIB/OBJ standard?

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Unfortunately no... This is the proprietary format of PowerBASIC and can be used with PB products only ...

Eros Olmi · December 27, 2010, 11:09:15 AM

Quote from: Aslan Babakhanov on December 27, 2010, 09:25:14 AM
Quote from: Patrice Terrier on December 25, 2010, 08:43:58 AM
I wonder if the new ".SLL" extension (static linking) is compatible with the Microsoft LIB/OBJ standard?

...

Unfortunately no... This is the proprietary format of PowerBASIC and can be used with PB products only ...

http://www.powerbasic.com/support/pbforums/showpost.php?p=360229&postcount=36

Patrice Terrier · December 27, 2010, 11:51:44 AM

Ok, i read Bob's answer, thank you.

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Edwin Knoppert · December 28, 2010, 03:52:53 PM

If you think about it, seems many function declararions and maybe even interface declararions won't be needed as plain text anymore.
Put everything in a static lib and off you go..
This may well be the start of a new compiler, i mean a different kind of perspective towards this compiler.
For example functions to handle checkboxes and so on can now be part of the 'compiler-engine' as a library.
No more need for stupid (sendmessage)declarations.

A new era, unf. i was about to quit PB (sigh).

Theo Gottwald · December 28, 2010, 05:50:59 PM

QuoteTheo, please don't use glow in your posts. The results are very ugly and annoying to people that use a decent explorer instead of IE.

Sorry i just did not think of this. Actually i must use FF as you know because after leaving my good old IE 6, IE 8 did not work on many sites.

Edwin Knoppert · January 03, 2011, 11:28:51 AM

Can someone explain the $LINK stuff?
Will the compiler allow multiple $LINK statements or do we need the librarian?

"PowerBASIC just discards those which aren't necessary"
That sounds as not being optimized per function but per library.