BlackBox Framework Wiki - User contributions [en]

BlackBox 1.7 Press Release

2016-09-17T07:49:16Z

Dgdanforth:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT: BlackBoxFramework Chair

Company: BlackBoxFramework.org

Email Address: BlackBox <main@blackboxframework.org>

Website URL: http://blackboxframework.org/

'''BlackBox Component Builder Release 1.7'''

International, 2016-09-16 - Good news, the most recent version of BlackBox Component Builder is now 1.7. Written in Component Pascal it follows the tradition of Pascal/Modula-2/Oberon languages. The BlackBox Component Builder runs in 32-bit Windows and Linux/wine.

BlackBox Component Builder is an innovative IDE (integrated development environment)
originally developed by Oberon microsystems of Zurich, Switzerland. Besides efficient compilation and modern software engineering features such as garbage collection, strong typing, and object orientation, it is unique that it allows program execution within the IDE itself; without starting an external operating system process. This provides for very efficient compile-load-execute cycles, comparable with scripting languages. It also enables simple interfacing to built-in components.
Each component is a module; a unit of compilation and a unit of execution. It is document centered, but not exclusively. It provides easy access to form and view subsystems which can be embedded in a document. All modules are fully described in their own document.

Release 1.7 contains fixes for all known issues since 2013, when BlackBox Component Builder was turned into an open source project. It also contains significant enhancements such as the localization of the framework to different languages (e.g. Cyrillic, Chinese), full Unicode support for identifiers in the Component Pascal language and automatic recompilation of a set of subsystems. The new release can be downloaded from http://blackboxframework.org/.

ABOUT BlackBoxFramework.org

BlackBoxFramework.org is run by the BlackBox Framework Center, an international community of volunteers dedicated to maintaining and improving the BlackBox Component Builder. Current executive members are from the US, Great Britain, Austria, Germany, Australia, Russia, and China. The BlackBox Framework Center was formed in 2013 and started its work on version 1.7 in 2014. For more information, see http://forum.blackboxframework.org/.

- END -

BlackBox Component Builder 1.7

2016-09-05T06:49:26Z

Dgdanforth: /* Config & Converters */

==Download beta version==

[http://blackboxframework.org/lastdev Download exe]

[http://blackboxframework.org/lastdev/zip Download zip]

==Migration from 1.6==

There is the tool for batch compilation of subsystems: [http://forum.blackboxframework.org/download/file.php?id=124 ypkDevTool].

The several typical changes you should do for adopting your subsystems for 1.7 are listed bellow:

=== IN to VAR ===

Now it is forbidden to use a variable declared as IN parameter as the receiver of a method call that expects a VAR parameter. You should change the IN parameter to VAR or the VAR receiver to IN in such a case.

=== Read-only variables ===

With 1.7 you can not call the methods of a read-only variable object if there is VAR option in argument of method. So you should export such a variable by *.

=== WinNet ===

WinNet.hostnet definition [http://redmine.blackboxframework.org/projects/blackbox/repository/diff?utf8=%E2%9C%93&rev=b3f0ad9f9012f89fb110909485ef22d35a49a46e&rev_to=bc96c56d1c94894f8e2afaf4a919ad8e79cdae64 was changed], so you need to replace:

<code>inaddr := hostentry.h_addr_list^[0]^[0]</code>

to

<code>inaddr := SYSTEM.VAL(WinNet.in_addr, hostentry.h_addr_list^[0]^)</code>

=== Underlined white space ===

Underlined spaces and tabs are now shown according to the defined format, i.e. they are underlined. So we recommend you to check your documentation files and/or program generated text files to prevent unexpected underlines.

=== UTF8 ===

UTF-8 conversion supported "out of the box" from module <code>Strings</code>. So if you are using UTF-8 conversions embedded in your own code or from some third-party modules, you can switch to the new Strings procedures.

=== External calls ===

1.7 supports calling URLs (e.g. web pages, E-mails), so now you can be sure that the user can call your link from documentation even if external CPC subsystems such as Info or i21Sys are not installed.

Use the <code>Dialog.OpenExternal</code> procedure to call a URL.

=== Config & Converters ===
The new Converter.next* export allows uninstalling and ordering converters "on the fly" from any module
not just from the Config module used at BlackBox startup.

BlackBox Component Builder 1.7

2016-09-05T06:48:26Z

Dgdanforth: /*Config & Converters */

Bug fixing pipeline

2015-03-28T00:43:45Z

Dgdanforth:

To fix some bug or create a new [[Center]] feature a member should follow these instructions:

# [http://redmine.blackboxframework.org/projects/blackbox/issues/new Create the issue] in the Center Issues tracker with a unique issue number '''N''' and make full description of the problem and it's solution if such exists
# Create the branch with GitHub online interface with name "issue-#'''N'''" ([[Media:Makebranch.png]])
# Create the topic in the [http://forum.blackboxframework.org/viewforum.php?f=39 issues discussion section] of the Center Board with a reference to the issue description

Further actions need discussion and coding by Center members. The [[Chair]] will then create a vote. If the vote passes, the topic branch should be merged with the master branch in the web-interface of GitHub.

== Before voting ==

Before voting about any issue-#N it is good to have a trial version of BlackBox with all fixes.
For doing this you need to work with Git a bit:

1. Clone the repository from GitHub
git clone git@github.com:BlackBoxCenter/blackbox.git
2. Switch to branch "issue-#N",
git checkout issue-#N
3. Make changes and commit them with some message containing description + "Refs. #N."
git commit -a -m "The description. Refs. #N."
4. Push this commit to repository
git push

Then [[The BlackBox Build Engine]] will prepare a demo BlackBox automatically here:
http://blackboxframework.org/unstable

The repository contains only sources, so for editing at the third step you need to use other copy of BlackBox or to build BlackBox from sources using the instructions from README file.

More information can be found here: [[How to develop with Git]].

However this work is not necessary, you can just post the annotated solution in the forum and the admin of [[Chair]] will execute this.

Bug fixing pipeline

2015-03-28T00:42:48Z

Dgdanforth: Language clean up

To fix some bug or create a new [[Center]] feature a member should follow these instructions:

# [http://redmine.blackboxframework.org/projects/blackbox/issues/new Create the issue] in the Center Issues tracker with the unique issue number '''N''' and make full description of the problem and it's solution if such exists
# Create the branch with GitHub online interface with name "issue-#'''N'''" ([[Media:Makebranch.png]])
# Create the topic in the [http://forum.blackboxframework.org/viewforum.php?f=39 issues discussion section] of the Center Board with a reference to the issue description

Further actions need discussion and coding by Center members. The [[Chair]] will then create a vote. If the vote passes, the topic branch should be merged with the master branch in the web-interface of GitHub.

== Before voting ==

Before voting about any issue-#N it is good to have a trial version of BlackBox with all fixes.
For doing this you need to work with Git a bit:

1. Clone the repository from GitHub
git clone git@github.com:BlackBoxCenter/blackbox.git
2. Switch to branch "issue-#N",
git checkout issue-#N
3. Make changes and commit them with some message containing description + "Refs. #N."
git commit -a -m "The description. Refs. #N."
4. Push this commit to repository
git push

Then [[The BlackBox Build Engine]] will prepare a demo BlackBox automatically here:
http://blackboxframework.org/unstable

The repository contains only sources, so for editing at the third step you need to use other copy of BlackBox or to build BlackBox from sources using the instructions from README file.

More information can be found here: [[How to develop with Git]].

However this work is not necessary, you can just post the annotated solution in the forum and the admin of [[Chair]] will execute this.

Bug fixing pipeline

2015-03-28T00:34:30Z

Dgdanforth:

To fix some bug or create a new feature [[Center]] a member should follow these instructions:

# [http://redmine.blackboxframework.org/projects/blackbox/issues/new Create the issue] in the Center Issues tracker with the unique issue number '''N''' and make full description of the problem and it's solution if such exists
# Create the branch with GitHub online interface with name "issue-#'''N'''" ([[Media:Makebranch.png]])
# Create the topic in the [http://forum.blackboxframework.org/viewforum.php?f=39 issues discussion section] of the Center Board with a reference to the issue description

Further actions need Center members for discussion and coding, [[Chair]] for creating the voting. After the positive voting the topic branch should be merged with master branch in web-interface of GitHub.

== Before voting ==

Before voting about any issue-#N it is good to have a trial version of BlackBox with all fixes.
For doing this you need to work with Git a bit:

1. Clone the repository from GitHub
git clone git@github.com:BlackBoxCenter/blackbox.git
2. Switch to branch "issue-#N",
git checkout issue-#N
3. Make changes and commit them with some message containing description + "Refs. #N."
git commit -a -m "The description. Refs. #N."
4. Push this commit to repository
git push

Then [[The BlackBox Build Engine]] will prepare a demo BlackBox automatically here:
http://blackboxframework.org/unstable

The repository contains only sources, so for editing at the third step you need to use other copy of BlackBox or to build BlackBox from sources using the instructions from README file.

More information can be found here: [[How to develop with Git]].

However this work is not necessary, you can just post the annotated solution in the forum and the admin of [[Chair]] will execute this.

Center Members Admin Guide

2015-03-25T06:34:28Z

Dgdanforth: Cleaned up English

Each [[Center]] member can access the following resources:

# [http://forum.blackboxframework.org Center Board] with membership in [http://forum.blackboxframework.org/memberlist.php?mode=group&g=8 Center Group] with posting privileges
# [http://redmine.blackboxframework.org/ Center Issues tracker] with membership in the [http://redmine.blackboxframework.org/projects/blackbox BlackBox Component Builder] with the '''Developer''' status.
# [http://github.com/BlackBoxCenter BlackBox Framework Center organization] in GitHub with privileges of owner

If you are a [[Center]] member and can not access any of these resources, please notify the [[Chair]] or forum administrator.

Access to these resources allows [[Center]] members to use the bug fixing pipeline:

# [http://redmine.blackboxframework.org/projects/blackbox/issues/new Create the issue] in the Center Issues tracker and get the unique issue number '''N'''.
# Create the branch with GitHub online interface with name "issue-#'''N'''" (see image bellow)
# Create the topic in the [http://forum.blackboxframework.org/viewforum.php?f=39 issues discussion section] of the Center Board with full description of the problem and your solution if such exists

Further actions need Center members for discussion and coding, [[Chair]] for creating the voting. After the positive voting the topic branch should be merged with master branch in web-interface of GitHub.

== Before voting ==

Before voting about any issue-#N it is good to have a trial version of BlackBox with all fixes.
For doing this you need to work with Git a bit:
# clone the repository from GitHub,
# switch to branch "issue-#N",
# make changes and commit them with some message containing description + "Refs. #N."
# push this commit to repository

More information can be found here: [[How to develop with Git]].

Then [[The BlackBox Build Engine]] will prepare a demo BlackBox automatically here:
http://blackboxframework.org/unstable

However this work is not necessary, you can just post the annotated solution in the forum and the admin of [[Chair]] will execute this.

== Illustrations ==

Creating the branch with GitHub online interface:

[[File:Makebranch.png]]

Center

2014-05-21T16:03:59Z

Dgdanforth:

The "BlackBox Center" is a non-profit voluntary organization dedicated to maintaining the vision and values of the BlackBox/Component Pascal software developed by Oberon microsystems Inc. (Zurich Switzerland). Today the Center is the ''de facto'' standard for BlackBox developers, users, and project managers. The members spearhead projects that, through a collaborative and meritocratic development process, deliver enterprise-quality software attractive to large user communities. We operate under [http://opensource.org/licenses/BSD-2-Clause BSD 2-clause license] to deploy products for business and individuals.

==Mission==

To provide software for the public good, based on the [[Oberon Spirit]]. We do this by keeping alive, adapting, and developing [[Component Pascal]], [[BlackBox Framework]] and [[BlackBox Component Builder]] starting with the [http://www.oberon.ch/blackbox.html last official release (v 1.6)] provided by [[Oberon microsystems AG]] (the "software") and growing and maintaining an international user community.

''The Blackbox Center provides and ensures guidelines and policies to keep the community centered around the mission described above. We are not the sole developers of the software, nor the only providers of the software, but we provide a clearing house to centralize efforts.''

==Values==
As a community we strive to:
* cooperate for the common good;
* make things as simple as possible but not simpler;
* use the idea of component building and let everybody add what they are good at to form something more than the sum of the parts;
* work democratically and meritocratically;
* be good citizens.

==How is the BlackBox Center and its projects governed?==

Members decide issues by vote, with 80% constituting a quorum. Every vote has the option "none of the above". Such a vote is counted for the quorum, but it does not take a side. For an option to be accepted, it needs 51% of the quorum.

Votes are called by the Chairman only (who is elected by vote on a yearly basis), whose responsibility it is:

* to start a voting thread after sufficient prior discussion;
* to make sure that each member is informed about pending votes (at least about important questions);
* to make sure that each member voted (Robert: "But only 80% need to vote");
* to close the voting thread.

New members can be added by vote.

Members can apply for leaving the Center and stay in touch in the special board group 'exCenter' with posting privileges and without voting rights.

Contributions to the software come from the wider community, and the Center members decide what to add, and when, in compliance with our mission, our vision and our values.

==Visions of development for the software==

The following sections illustrate possible projects and priorities for the future of BlackBox. These visions will mature and evolve in the light of experience and input from the wider user community.

===Keeping alive===

* All parts of the software are documented both in source and in an overview document (no "this module is internal" documentations!)
* All OS function calls are checked regularly and if necessary changed so that the software does not use deprecated functions.
* Known bugs are fixed
* There are regular "working releases" and once a year or so there are "major releases", to make sure that the user can rely on the stability of the software.

=== Adapting===
BlackBox is now 10 years old, and the world has changed. We need to adapt.

* Providing a 64-bit version of the software
* Adapting to the changed native look and feel of the OS
* Internationalization of user documentation and user interface
* Implementation of additional GUI elements provided by the OS as part of the standard distribution

===Developing===
Source-Code compatible versions with local look-and-feel for
* Mac OS
* Linux
* JVM
* Dalvik VM
* .NET
* Raspbian…

==Looking beyond our noses==

* When Nicklaus Wirth designed the Oberon System, he discouraged multi-tasking on single processor systems, because it only adds complexity (i.e. it is against the values). Over 20 years later, most of our systems are multi-processor systems. Is the current handling of “Actions” still the best practice, or should be implement – in the spirit of Oberon – multi-threading, and if so, how? For instance, we are faced with the problem that the run time system freezes when you keep a mouse key pressed. Is this really necessary, and how can we solve this in the Oberon Spirit?

* Are there new paradigms of user interaction in software development that we could (and probably should) integrate, such as MS IntelliSense? Is it inherently against the Oberon Spirit, or are there ways to provide similar functionality in keeping the Spirit?

==Center tasks==

* to make first version with all known bug fixes
* to maintain stable versions of [[BlackBox Component Builder]]
* provide it's distribution and promotion.

To maintain means:
* regularly (period?) publish new versions of the BlackBox Component Builder;
* support the international BlackBox open-source community;
* adapt the BlackBox Component Builder to modern challenges.

Center

2014-05-19T01:23:25Z

Dgdanforth: English language clean up and simplification

The "BlackBox Center" is a non-profit voluntary organization dedicated to maintaining the vision and values of the BlackBox/Component Pascal software developed by Oberon Microsystems Inc. (Zurich Switzerland). Today the Center is the ''de facto'' [[standard]] for BlackBox developers, users, and project managers. The members spearhead projects that, through a collaborative and meritocratic development process, deliver enterprise-quality software attractive to large user communities. We operate under [http://opensource.org/licenses/BSD-2-Clause BSD 2-clause license] to deploy products for business and individuals.

==Mission==

To provide software for the public good, based on the [[Oberon Spirit]]. We do this by keeping alive, adapting, and developing [[Component Pascal]], [[BlackBox Framework]] and [[BlackBox Component Builder]] starting with the [http://www.oberon.ch/blackbox.html last official release (v 1.6)] provided by [[Oberon Microsystems AG]] (the "software") and growing and maintaining an international user community.

''The Blackbox Center provides and ensures guidelines and policies to keep the community centered around the mission described above. We are not the sole developers of the software, nor the only providers of the software, but we provide a clearing house to centralize efforts.''

==Values==
As a community we strive to:
* cooperate for the common good;
* make things as simple as possible but not simpler;
* use the idea of component building and let everybody add what they are good at to form something more than the sum of the parts;
* work democratically and meritocratically;
* be good citizens.

==How is the BlackBox Center and its projects governed?==

Members decide issues by vote, with 80% constituting a quorum. Every vote has the option "none of the above". Such a vote is counted for the quorum, but it does not take a side. For an option to be accepted, it needs 51% of the quorum.

Votes are called by the Chairman only (who is elected by vote on a yearly basis), whose responsibility it is:

* to start a voting thread after sufficient prior discussion;
* to make sure that each member is informed about pending votes (at least about important questions);
* to make sure that each member voted (Robert: "But only 80% need to vote");
* to close the voting thread.

New members can be added by vote.

Members can apply for leaving the Center and stay in touch in the special board group 'exCenter' with posting privileges and without voting rights.

Contributions to the software come from the wider community, and the Center members decide what to add, and when, in compliance with our mission, our vision and our values.

==Visions of development for the software==

The following sections illustrate possible projects and priorities for the future of BlackBox. These visions will mature and evolve in the light of experience and input from the wider user community.

===Keeping alive===

* All parts of the software are documented both in source and in an overview document (no "this module is internal" documentations!)
* All OS function calls are checked regularly and if necessary changed so that the software does not use deprecated functions.
* Known bugs are fixed
* There are regular "working releases" and once a year or so there are "major releases", to make sure that the user can rely on the stability of the software.

=== Adapting===
BlackBox is now 10 years old, and the world has changed. We need to adapt.

* Providing a 64-bit version of the software
* Adapting to the changed native look and feel of the OS
* Internationalization of user documentation and user interface
* Implementation of additional GUI elements provided by the OS as part of the standard distribution

===Developing===
Source-Code compatible versions with local look-and-feel for
* Mac OS
* Linux
* JVM
* Dalvik VM
* .NET
* Raspbian…

==Looking beyond our noses==

* When Nicklaus Wirth designed the Oberon System, he discouraged multi-tasking on single processor systems, because it only adds complexity (i.e. it is against the values). Over 20 years later, most of our systems are multi-processor systems. Is the current handling of “Actions” still the best practice, or should be implement – in the spirit of Oberon – multi-threading, and if so, how? For instance, we are faced with the problem that the run time system freezes when you keep a mouse key pressed. Is this really necessary, and how can we solve this in the Oberon Spirit?

* Are there new paradigms of user interaction in software development that we could (and probably should) integrate, such as MS IntelliSense? Is it inherently against the Oberon Spirit, or are there ways to provide similar functionality in keeping the Spirit?

==Center tasks==

* to make first version with all known bug fixes
* to maintain stable versions of [[BlackBox Component Builder]]
* provide it's distribution and promotion.

To maintain means:
* regularly (period?) publish new versions of the BlackBox Component Builder;
* support the international BlackBox open-source community;
* adapt the BlackBox Component Builder to modern challenges.