OLD NEWS
- 20-Nov-2001: The next version of B4Step will be available soon.
Numerous enhancements and bug fixes will be integrated in this version (look at the Bugs and Todo
sections). Two bugs need to be reproduced and fixed, then I will release the version 2.3 of B4Step.
- 06-Jul-2001: The version 2.2 for
Solaris/Sparc and Linux/x86 is available.
What's new in this version :
- Integration of fix for bug B13
- B4Step has a built-in zoom activated with [CTRL-LEFT] and [SHIFT-LEFT] keys.
- A Hint window is displayed at B4Step's startup.
- A B4Step activity icon is displayed at the left side of the root bar.
- The packaging format of the Solaris version of B4Step changes in order to ease the maintenance:
- B4Step: The core package (binaries).
- B4Sthemes: The themes package.
- 18-May-2001: The version 2.1 for Solaris/Sparc and Linux/x86 is available.
What's new in this version :
- Integration of fixes for bugs B7 to B12
- B4Step catches the SEGV and SIGBUS signals and restarts itself upon reception of
these signals. It also saves a core file in /tmp that you can send me.
- The sound is disabled by default when B4Step is launched on a non local display.
The sound can be enabled anyway with the resource B4S.SoundEnable set to
Force.
- The use of backing store is disabled by default on Linux. The resource B4S.BackingStoreEnable
can control it (On redhat 7.x, the Xserver comes with the backing store disabled by
default !)
- 02-May-2001: The patch B420002-03 for B4Step2.0p1 Linux/x86
is available, it upgrades B4Step to version 2.0p3.
The latest package 2.0p3 for Linux/x86 is also available.
They fix bugs B7, B8, B9,
B10 and B12
- 01-May-2001: The patch B420001-03 for B4Step package 2.0p1 Solaris/Sparc
is available. It fixes bug B9.
The linux patch for bugs B7 to B11 will be available soon (underdoing testings)
- 25-Apr-2001: The patch B420001-02 for B4Step 2.0p1 Solaris/Sparc
is available. It fixes bugs B7, B8 and B9.
The corresponding Linux patch will be available soon.
- 23-Apr-2001: I reposted the Solaris package. Its version number was wrong, and also the B4Step executable has been
rebuilt with a minor change that allows the use of non transparent pixmaps (the themes contain only transparent
pixmaps, so with a default installation there will be no noticeable changes)
- 23-Apr-2001: An old X11 bug has been revealed on Linux. This bug has already been fixed a long time ago on Solaris.
When two concurrent XGetImage() requests are called from two threads, B4Step can lock in these calls due to an X11 bug.
I will post very soon a B4Step update including a workaround.
- 20-Apr-2001: The version 2.0 for Solaris/Sparc and Linux/x86 is available.
What's new in this version :
- The root menu has been completely reworked.
- The question window has been reworked.
- 3D effects have been added to some B4Step windows.
- The Raise and Select policy are configurable.
- A QUIT button and a MOVE button have been added to the upper bar.
- Resources for the upper bar, the status window, and the tooltip have been added.
- Integration of the fixes for bugs B1 to B5.
- 27-Mar-2001: The patch B417002-01 for B4Step 1.7 Linux/x86
is available. It fixes bugs B1, B2 and B3.
- 27-Mar-2001: The patch B417001-01 for B4Step 1.7 Solaris/Sparc
is available. It fixes bugs B1, B2 and B3.
- 26-Mar-2001: The version 1.7 for Linux/x86 is available.
- 23-Mar-2001: The version 1.7 for Solaris/Sparc is available.
What's new in this version :
- Bug "On startup, some windows can loose their frames" fixed.
- The upper bar can be desactivated.
- The upper bar thread is more efficient and takes less CPU resources.
- The upper bar can be moved by the mouse, and repositions itself when
a gnome upper panel is mapped (or any other override-redirect window
mapped on the top of the screen and with the screen width)
- All buttons have tooltips.
- A font can be assigned to the tooltip.
- B4Step can assign an icon to windows that did not define their own icon (see AppIcons directory)
- The 'transparent' file is no more used. For GIF, PNG, and XMP files, the inner transparent
color is used. All the transparent theme images have been changed.
- B4Step is much faster on startup.
- 16-Feb-2001: Patch B416001 fixes a minor bug in the Resources file for the default theme
(linux only)
- 15-Feb-2001: Two fixes for minor bugs are integrated in the current packages (yellow config icon under
the default theme and wrong permissions for B4S_PlaySound.) And now the sound will be disabled by default.
- 11-Feb-2001: The version 1.6 for Linux/x86 is available.
- 09-Feb-2001: Some minor adjustments have been made to the code.
Now the code for the version 1.6 seems ready to be feezed. I can now work
on the Linux packaging.
- 08-Feb-2001: A conflict between the gnome file manager and B4Step caused the Xserver to freeze. This has been corrected in the current Solaris package. (just kill gmc if this happens with the prior versions of B4Step). The current Solaris package contains the fix.
- 08-Feb-2001: I posted a new version of the Solaris patckage for B4Step 1.6. A bug in the gnome
interface caused the gnome 1.2 panel to be managed by B4Step. This is now fixed with the current
package. The version 1.4.1 shows this problem. The prior versions of gnome do now show this problem.
I will post the new version for Linux as soon as the startup bug will be solved. I hope to do this very soon !
- 02-Feb-2001: The version 1.6 for Solaris/Sparc is available.
This version is FASTER : The update of the top bar took some time during the creation/deletion of the windows. This
algorithm has been reworked and moved into a thread.
- 23-Jan-2001: The version 1.6 should be available within 2 weeks.
A new package will be built ; the new binaries will integrate the patches,
the speed have been improved (some algorithms have been completely reworked and
the use of threads have been extended), and some minor additions to the control panel have been made. This version seems to be very stable (heavy use 9 hour per day on my workstation). And once again, do not hesitate to submit a theme or some comments for B4Step !
- 30-Nov-2000: The patch B415002-01 is available for the Linux/x86 version of B4Step 1.5.
- 29-Nov-2000: The patch B415001-02 is available for the Solaris/Sparc version of B4Step 1.5.
It includes an icon for the control-panel, and some code change (see the Known bugs section). The linux version of this patch will
be available soon.
- 17-Nov-2000: The release 1.5 for Linux/Intel is available.
I do not have yet an icon for the control-panel (/usr/local/B4Step/B4Scontrol), it should be included in the next update.
If someone has a good idea for this icon, feel free to sent it to me !
- 13-Oct-2000: The patch B415001-01 is available for the sparc version of B4Step. It can only be installed with the latest package (29-Sept-2000). This patch prevents a potential crash (that should not occur in most cases)
- 29-Sept-2000: I built a new package with all the bug fixes, because the previous package format did not
allow the patches installation. Sorry for that ! You can download this package right now.
- 27-Sept-2000: A bug has been fixed in the control panel.
- 25-Sept-2000: Version 1.5 for Solaris/Sparc released.
- B4Scontrol, a basic control panel, has been added. It has been written with
gtk+.
- The design of the virtual screen control has been rewritten.
- Some bugs fixed.
- 15-Sept-2000: OK, I'm testing now the latest version of B4Step. If it is stable (does not crash), I will make
the Solaris/Sparc packages available at the end of next week. The Linux/Intel and Solaris/Intel packages will follow.
- 13-Sept-2000: The last update of B4Step is almost done. It will include an user configuration panel written
with GTK+. Here is a snapshot.
- 18-Jul-2000: Thanks to Tsani Jones! He created a mailing list for B4Step ! The subscribe form is below.
- 28-Jun-2000: I've been extremely busy during the last months. Now I'll be able to work again on B4Step !
- 17-Mar-2000: A bug that prevented B4Step to start on a 16 bit depth screen has been fixed.
- 14-Mar-2000: Removed two specific Solaris commands in the Xsession file for linux.
- 13-Mar-2000: As requested from some users, the default configured theme on installation is now the Pear theme.
- 29-Feb-2000: The release 1.4.1 for Linux/Intel.
- 28-Feb-2000: The release 1.4.1 for Solaris/Sparc and Solaris/Intel.
- Sound support completely rewritten. An external player is used to play sound. I built one from
the code of Xplay. So now WAVE, AIFF, and Sun au files are supported.
- This player needs to be tested on Linux. If everything is OK, the linux version will be avaialble in a few days.
- 23-Feb-2000: I'm integrating the support for WAV sound files. So now, concerning
the current release, the sound is only supported for Solaris.
- 21-Feb-2000: A bug in the install script for linux has been fixed.
I rewrited completely the
sound support. It will be available in the next few days, when the tests on various linuxes will be done.
- 14-Feb-2000: The release 1.4 for Solaris/Sparc, Solaris/Intel and Linux/Intel.
New features:
- The Linux version can use MesaGL if installed. This mode is very slow on my
Pentium/233 with its non 3D accelerated card. Any feedback is welcome. You can toggle the MesaGL mode
with the B4S.GLenable resource.
- Sound support. 8-bit u-law, mono, 8000 Hz audio data are supported.
- The Macintosh theme has been canceled, because the Apple company does not authorize the
use of the Apple Logo in the manner I want. So the apple logo of this theme has been changed to a
Pear.
- Toggle between themes without logout.
- Some new resources increasing the control of B4Step.
- Some bugs fixed.
- 29-Dec-1999 : The release 1.3 for Solaris/Sparc.
- OpenGL animations when iconifying windows.
- This version uses OpenGL if installed, and works without OpenGL if not installed.
- Some bug fixed.
To use OpenGL with B4Step, better have an 3D accelerated framebuffer (like Creator3D or Elite3D).
If your graphic card is too slow for OpenGL, you can disable OpenGL through the resources of B4Step.
B4Step must be tested with various configuration, to decide if some modifications are to be done
in the OpenGL code. Is has not be tested with MesaGL yet. The version 1.3 is the first step for the
OpenGL integration.
The new theme will be avalaible in a separate package.
- 24-Dec-1999 : The OpenGL integration is done; the new theme 'Macintosh'-like is done (see the screenshot in the
'Themes' section). So now I'm packaging all this stuff and writing a install script for linux.
- 26-Nov-1999 : I upgrade B4Step in order to include some OpenGL routines...
this is a lot of work and will take a little time. And a new theme is under construction.
- 30-Oct-1999 : The release 1.2.1 for Linux/Intel.
- 29-Oct-1999 : The release 1.2.1 for Solaris/Sparc and Solaris/Intel. This
version includes an arrow pointing the virtual screen in which a window will be dropped.
- 13-Oct-1999 : The release 1.2 for Linux/Intel.
- 13-Oct-1999 : The release 1.2 for Sparc/Intel.
- 12-Oct-1999 : The release 1.2 for Solaris/Sparc. This version includes the support of GIF, JPEG and PNG files, in order to allow an easier integration of new themes. So now I'm waiting for new themes to be released ! ;-) This version also includes the support for left handed mouse, the availability to switch between workspaces with ALT-Left and ALT-Right, and the fix of some bugs.
- 03-Sep-1999 : Manual pages included in the Linux package.
- 08-Aug-1999 : The release 1.1 for Linux/x86.
- 06-Aug-1999 : The release 1.1 for Solaris/Sparc : Session management and status window.
- 06-Aug-1999 : WMA changed its name to B4Step.
