Gix-IDE 1.1.0 is available
This is a release for Gix-IDE that integrates the new "standalone" debugger engine and consolidates the various development (internal) branches. While the "standard" debugger is still the one to be currently used, having a single and published version will help speed up the development process.
This release also arrives with new binary packages: compiler and runtime files have been moved outside the installer itself and will be downloaded on-demand. While this means that an Internet connection is needed to install Gix-IDE with a compiler, it makes the installer a lot smaller and more easily upgradable. As a consequence, there are no more "no-compilers" packages, you just will just have to skip installing the compiler(s) when running the installer.
Moreover, the Windows binary installers have been signed with my code-signing certificate, for an added level of trust.
There is a brand-new package for Ubuntu 22.04, that should avoid the compatibility hacks that were needed for the previous package (aimed at 20.04). Debian-specific packages will follow as soon as possible.
Since this is the first release of a new cycle (a so-called ".0") there are probably a few bugs - both in packaging and in the code itself - that have to be shaken down, and a few known issues (see below), but as development is gaining some traction, I really needed to streamline the process, and this release is a step in that (hopefully right) direction.
Another point of attention is the fact that the new packages are being built with GitHub Actions: the building and packaging process is entirely reproducible using the workflows supplied in this repository. This also means that - internally - development has been moved entirely from a SVN-based setup to Git/GitHub: some long-term work will still take place internally (at first), but updates on GitHub will be quicker and more frequent.
All of the above (building, packaging, etc.), starting from the next release (v1.0.19), also apply to GixSQL, for which I am doing some planning/research and hope to have a more accurate timeframe really soon.
By the way: I have added a new e-mail address to my key because I started to sign the binary installers with a code signing certificate, and it just seemed "prettier" to use for the e-mail contact a domain that I own instead of a generic GMail address.
Binary packages available
- Windows x86
- Windows x64
- Linux x64 (Ubuntu 20.04LTS)
- Linux x64 (Ubuntu 22.04LTS)
A summary of new features and fixes:
- Integrated "standalone" debugger (still not completely functional)
- Enabled rectangular selection in the editor
- Added tooltips for COBOL variables in the editor with variable information (the content of a variable is also displayed when debugging)
- ESQL blocks are now automatically skipped when debugging (the debugger stops on the first line of the block, then "jumps" after the END-EXEC clause when stepping
- Added new icons (including for file types used by Gix-IDE)
- Linux build and debugger fixes
Known bugs and issues
- The standalone debugger is present but it is still a work in progress, so some things might not work as expected (e.g. debugging when using a MinGW-based compiler on Windows). The debugger version can be selected under Settings -> Debug
- When debugging on Windows, a "stray" console window appear, this is probably from some logging artifact
Available, as usual, on the Release page on GitHub.