2020-11-21

Another Mac-centric release — there's a lot going on with the Mac right now — this build:

• adds direct support for Apple Silicon.

So this application does not require Rosetta to run.

Thanks to @Tiza59 for testing! I hope to have my own M1-equipped machine in a month or so, so Apple Silicon support should become a regular feature.

2020-11-13

This release affects the Mac build only; it:

• notarises the app, making for a much easier first-time launch; and
• resolves known Big Sur UI issues:
  • File -> New... could present a blank, uninteractive window; and
  • failing that, any cancelled new machine dialogues could reappear and be unresponsive at an attempt to close the application.

It also bumps the minimum macOS version to 10.14; given that I no longer support output other than via Metal, this is a convenient way of avoiding the need for a fallback.

This binary has been updated since its initial release.

2020-11-07

Corrects RGB video display for the Atari ST and Amstrad CPC in macOS using the new Metal back-end.

2020-10-02

A minor release, this:

• adds F8+F12 as an alternate key combination for releasing the mouse in the Qt port; ctrl+escape is used natively by KDE; and
• resolves a very minor thread safety issue in the macOS port related to window resizing.

2020-09-17

• corrects a latent overflow error in the CRT that was visible via the new Metal back-end as a diagonal scan on top of the display running from bottom left to top right for machines with a coloured border and specific sync timing (in practice: the Master System, ColecoVision and MSX); and
• makes a couple of negligible improvements to 6522 timer emulation, potentially benefitting the Vic-20 and Oric.

The latter stems from having uncorked a new set of VIA tests; more accuracy improvements are likely to be forthcoming in that area.

2020-09-16

Changes for all platforms:

• resolves an issue in the emulated Macintosh that could cause a jumpy display; and
• corrects a minor bug in audio processing that could cause incorrect filtering for non-integral sample rates.

macOS specific:

• adds a new Metal-based video processor; OpenGL is no longer used by the native Mac build.

This is my first foray into Metal and I have a very limited capacity for testing, so there is a risk that compatibility issues will be uncovered. I hope to be able to fix these, please don't hesitate with reports. Given that OpenGL is deprecated on the Mac and will therefore at some point become unavailable, this is an unavoidable change.

2020-08-02

This release:

• applies a temporary patch to a long-standing race condition in the video output that could lead to the display partially blanking out or jumping up and down — the issue is believed resolved by this patch, but it's somewhat drastic and has negative side effects elsewhere, e.g. on window resizing, so a better correction will be sought;
• corrects a regression that broke Oric Microdisc emulation;
• corrects a potential crash in the dynamic analyser, most obviously when running large MSX cartridges; and
• formally resolves a harmless-on-x86 race condition in the Macintosh's audio output.

(For any who might be interested, on the first topic see ONE_BIG_LOCK in BufferingScanTarget.cpp)

2020-07-27

This release applies some fixes to the Qt version of this emulator. SDL and native Mac versions are not altered in any way.

Specifically:

• a potential crash when using machines with indicator lights (e.g. drive access lights) has been corrected;
• additional feedback is provided when importing ROMs and when trying to launch a file from the command line if it doesn't exist (and, in the latter case, a split-dispay GUI showing machine selection controls and boilerplate ROM request text will no longer be presented); and
• a flaw in output timing has been addressed that seeks to resolve cases of the emulated machine's display not being updated.

2020-07-20

This release corrects a regression in yesterday's that affected a large swathe of the disk-based machines. Compared to releases more than 24 hours, it differs in the same ways as yesterday's release, i.e.:

Most substantially, this release introduces an experimental Qt for X11 build. I've found Qt to be extremely deficient in its keyboard handling; therefore the Qt port is currently supported on X11 only. Feedback is heavily encouraged.

Otherwise:

• improves the Master System's ability to boot without a BIOS image;
• ensures the ZX80 and ZX81 loading procedure is more fully automated — that titles which do not automatically run after loading are RUN; and
• adds support for most WOZ 2-format disk images for the Apple II, fixing some latent issues around booting 13-sector disks and improving the Disk II static analyser.

2020-07-19

Most substantially, this release introduces an experimental Qt for X11 build. I've found Qt to be extremely deficient in its keyboard handling; therefore the Qt port is currently supported on X11 only. Feedback is heavily encouraged.

Otherwise:

• improves the Master System's ability to boot without a BIOS image;
• ensures the ZX80 and ZX81 loading procedure is more fully automated — that titles which do not automatically run after loading are RUN; and
• adds support for most WOZ 2-format disk images for the Apple II, fixing some latent issues around booting 13-sector disks and improving the Disk II static analyser.