BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.01a released

[DDRM]

Copied from Richard's posting at Stardot

I have today released version 1.01a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0, the cross-platform programming language for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi, Android and iOS. The changes in this version are as follows:

IDEs / Compiler:

SDLIDE's 'Immediate Mode' has been modified so that it opens with the current program (if any) loaded, so for example a PROC can be run from the command prompt.

SDLIDE's 'Save As' command opens the file selector in the directory containing the most recently loaded or saved program.

The SDLIDE GUI has received minor cosmetic improvements, including PgUp and PgDn working more conventionally.

Fixed a bug in the cross-reference utility causing it to misbehave if the current program has no procedures or no functions.

BASIC Interpreter / Run Time Engine:

VDU 23,23... sets the line thickness used for plotting outline circles, ellipses and arcs (as well as straight lines).

The RECTANGLE SWAP statement has been implemented, compatible with that in BB4W.

Blitting operations such as scrolling, RECTANGLE .. TO and MODE 7 double-height characters have been speeded up.

Fixed a bug in the ARM and 64-bit editions (only) causing them not to accept a unary '+' before the exponent in E-notation numeric constants (d'oh!).

Libraries:

The angled-ellipse library has been updated so that it does not leave BBCSDL in an unstable state if interrupted with ESCape.

The treeview library has been updated to fix a minor bug which allowed 'navigation' beyond the end of the tree.

The dlglib library has received minor cosmetic improvements, and supports Ctrl+Home and Ctrl+End in a List Box.

Example Programs:

The following example programs have been added:

slitscan.bbc: A demonstration of how GPU shaders can be used to mimic an effect traditionally achieved optically, in this case one used in the opening titles of Doctor Who and also in 2001 A Space Odyssey.

disco.bbc, surks.bbc and swirl.bbc (with thanks to David Williams): Colourful demos making use of RECTANGLE SWAP and 'thick' circles/ellipses and arcs respectively.

Clarification: SDLIDE.bbc will run in BBC BASIC for Windows (v6.12a only), if dlglib.bbc is copied into its LIB directory, but compatibility with BB4W is a low priority and you may notice minor graphical glitches when running on that platform.

iOS users: Please update BBCBasic to this version because the certificate used for the previous release is about to expire and the app will stop working when it does. Apple Ad Hoc iOS distribution certificates last for a year.

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, Raspberry Pi, iOS and 64-bit Linux editions, currently).

[p_m21987]

Richard is a legend! I'm looking forward to making use of the line thickness feature. Until now I had been making thick lines by manually plotting filled circles.

[Kuron]

I just found out about the SDL version. The one thing that had always kept me from fully moving to Linux was a decent BASIC. I do not think I could ever fully move to Linux now, as all of my audio/video production software is Windows-based. My Linux systems are currently in storage, but I will definitely check out the Windows version. Currently, I am trying to relearn BB4W.

A huge thank you to Richard for all of his hard work over the years on all variations of BBC BASIC.