Added a HW registers browser window and set a tab for the Blitter
[clinton/Virtual-Jaguar-Rx.git] / docs / vj_HistoryNotes.txt
1 Release 5 (TBA)
2 ---------------
3 0) Added a date creation stamp in the application command line information
4 - This date already appears in the Release 4 executable but was not referenced in his history note
5 1) Added a specific breakpoint for the M68K illegal instruction exception
6 -- Alert box will display a message and then the code will stop
7 2) Added a specific breakpoint for the M68K address error exception
8 -- Alert box will display a message and then the code will stop
9 3) Added a HW registers browser window and set a tab for the Blitter
10
11 Release 4a (15th August 2019)
12 -----------------------------
13 Git commit: f04df4f185ed4f3cfc805d0f61b3c019a108ae2c
14 -
15 0) Fix specific breakpoint for ROM cartridge or unknown memory location writing
16
17 Release 4 (10th August 2019)
18 ----------------------------
19 Git commit: 9b25d85d1ea4a9476b83476bcec65e05464f68da
20 -
21 0) The zoom value setting has been fixed in the registry
22 1) Debugger mode now shares the same alpine rom path setting
23 2) Local variables window displays register name now
24 3) Switch to Zlib 1.2.11 static library 64bits for VS 2017
25 4) Switch to SDL 1.2.15 static library 64bits for VS 2017
26 5) Local variables window displays values from function's parameters
27 6) Fixed the typedef's name display in Local and Watch variables window
28 7) Breakpoint may now occur in case of a ROM cartridge writing
29 -- ROM cartridge writing detection follow the alpine "allow writes to cartridge rom"'s flag check
30 -- Alert box will display a message with possibility to pass or not the breakpoint only if this is related to a 8 or 16 bits ROM access
31 8) Local variables window detects now if a variable is used or not by the code
32 9) The address provided in the debugger memory windows is now verified to prevent crash
33 -- Wrong address will be displayed in red
34 10) UI changes
35 -- Added new icons for the exit and status features
36 -- Modified icons for the SP (Stack) browser
37 -- Unified icons sizes depend on their usage (drop down menu and main menu)
38 -- Underline the active M68K line in the disassembly window
39 -- Allow the up/down navigation on the SP (Stack) browser
40 -- Restart function cleans-up the SP (Stack) browser and the heap allocator system
41 -- Fixed the up navigation on the memory window
42 11) Added some log information for the emulator initialisations
43 12) Breakpoint will happen in case of writing at unknown memory location
44 -- Alert box will display a message and then the code will stop
45 13) Added the DRAM size in the emulator status window
46 14) Debugger sources code clean-up
47 15) Added a call stack feature
48 16) Follow platform requirement to prevent source file reading issue
49 17) UI modifications
50 -- Modified icon for the memory window to make a distinction with the memory browser
51 -- The all watch, and Exception Vector Table windows, can be closed using keyboard
52 -- Renamed the debugger dedicated icons to make a distinction
53 -- Added the call stack window
54 18) Fixed a crash in the all watch window after loading a new binary without ELF/DWARF information
55 -- Previously used ELF/DWARF information was still accessible
56 19) Fixed slash/backslash issue, in the Alpine tab, to follow platform requirement
57 20) Heap allocation window uses the DRAM size limit option and detect if heap allocation shares space with SP (Stack)
58 21) Added a Jaguar model and BIOS configuration tab
59 22) Jaguar model and BIOS configuration integration
60 23) Added LEB128 decoding functions
61 -- It is used for the DWARF decoding information
62 24) Debugger support improvement
63 -- DWARF support for the enum type (partial), structure and subroutine type
64 -- Debugger can report variable's unsigned char value
65 25) UI modifications
66 -- Added a status bar, better status report & information display for the heap allocation window
67 -- Added a status bar, better status report & information display for the local variables window
68 -- Added better information display for the exception vectors table window, and added some missing vectors
69 -- Added a status bar, better status report & information display for the call stack window
70 -- Added a status bar, better status report & information display for the all watches window
71 26) Added screenshot feature
72 -- Not accessible in debugger mode
73 -- Added screenshot editable path in the general tab, and a key binding
74 27) Minor misspellings fixes
75 28) DWARF source code directory path clean-up
76 29) Added a source code files list viewer
77 -- List comes from the DWARF information
78 30) Check potential variables missing/incomplete description found in the DWARF information
79 -- No crash involved but can help to reduce such as variables duplicate or the blank ones
80 31) Added a sorting filter in the all watches window
81 32) Improve source code file reading to avoid additional text/bytes reading
82 33) Help & content texts updates
83 34) Fixed a crash legacy issue when emulator launches in Alpine mode without a valid rom
84 35) Added the support for the used lines source's DWARF structure
85 -- Mostly used to handle missing subprogram's lines information, and missing CU's low/high PC
86 36) Added the Rx version's contact in the help text
87 37) Added search paths in case of missing DWARF directories information
88 -- Used to look for the file(s)
89 38) Setup CU's low/high PC in case of the DWARF structures doesn't have it
90 -- Used mostly to allow display the source assembled with vasm
91 39) Added function name support from ELF structure
92 40) Added the return address information in the call stack
93 41) Added multiple breakpoints feature, and their key bindings, for functions only
94 42) Added timer initialisation for the SDL setup
95 43) Added a cartridge view menu
96 -- Added a window to display my own directory and his files list
97 44) Debugger sources code clean-up
98 45) Fix a crash when emulator, in non-debugger mode, opens the breakpoint UIs at launch
99 46) Fix crash with potential missing DWARF structure tag's type name
100 47) Added ELF sections check so a potential unknown section will stop, or not stop, the decoding
101 48) Project has switched to QT 5.12.0 library 64bits for VS 2017
102 49) Added a Save Dump As... feature to save a memory zone to a file
103 50) The -d command line option, dedicated to the debugger, has been renamed to avoid duplication with the dsp one
104 -- -d has been renamed by -D because another -d was also used for the dsp command line option
105 51) Removed the sorting filter in the all watches window
106 52) Fix the support of the DRAM size limit option in the heap allocation window
107 53) Set cartridge view menu for debugger mode only
108 54) Prevent crash in case of call stack is out of range
109
110 Release 3 (13th November 2017)
111 ------------------------------
112 Git commit: b1b673a3b0d19e3c2c45b6590b773b11e45bced7
113 -
114 0) Fixed the windows respawning in the next emulator launch within --alpine or --debugger options
115 1) Added an Exception Vector Table window
116 2) Modified the About window to update the credits list in a more appropriate way
117 -- Updated the emulator application credits line
118 3) Added 'Rx' word to the emulator name
119 4) Fixed a crash when reading the DWARF information in the case of the DWARF2 format has not been used
120 5) Added ui, alpine and debugger groups in the settings
121 6) Added the possibility to erase settings
122 7) Added the --es-all, --es-ui, --es-alpine and --es-debugger options to erase specific settings
123 8) Added a key bindings tab and adapted the configuration dialog tabs
124 -- User can modify the key bindings where appropriate
125 -- Key bindings UI is displayed based on the option used (--debugger, -- alpine)
126 9) Fixed a crash, in Release mode, when the HW labels setting is turn on
127 10) Solved an interference between the HW labels setting and the one used by the debugger
128 -- The setting is now only the reference used
129 11) Fixed the SP (Stack) browser UI potential missing data
130 12) Create a directory for EEPROMs (based on the EEPROMs setting) if it doesn't already exist
131 13) Keep the scrollbar position in accordance of the M68K PC pointer
132 -- UI displays the source without the need to move down/up the scrollbar
133 14) Fixed a crash when DWARF information report a source line number exceeding the number of lines present in a source file
134 -- This may come from the linker vlink
135 15) Improved the .heap section detection to avoid a detection error
136 -- Depend vlink version, .heap section may have an Alloc flag
137 16) Fixed a crash when DWARF information does references to missing source code files
138 17) Added a local variables window
139 18) Project has switched to Visual Studio 2017 and QT 5.9.1 library
140
141 Release 2 (3rd September 2017)
142 ------------------------------
143 0) Added some error detections when reading the ELF executable file
144 1) Added all hardware labels (based on the document scans from the Version 2.4 - June 7, 1995)
145 2) "Step Over" code function for BSR/JSR functions
146 3) Added the .debug_ranges detection to avoid a detection error
147 4) DWARF support
148 -- TAG: Compilation Unit, Subprogram, Variables, Types
149 -- Line numbers, symbols, functions
150 5) Added an All Watch window for non-local variables
151 6) Added a heap allocator window based on my own memory allocation functions
152 7) Added additional 4 memory windows with address input based on hexa, decimal or symbol name
153 8) Windows refreshing executed only if windows is visible
154 9) Added a restart function
155 -- Restart only the 68000 program counter to his original set
156 10) Modified the icons color backgound for the "Step In" and "Step Over" functions
157 11) Updated the About window to update the credits list
158 12) 64 bits Release executable
159 13) Fixed (hacking) the display of the SP (Stack) browser
160 14) Set the emulator in Halt mode when launched in alpine debug mode without a loaded rom
161 -- Otherwise the 68000 program counter will have a 0 value and will execute the code at this address
162 15) Added some information in the --help/-h/-? option
163 16) --debugger option no longer force the log file
164 17) Added a --dram-max option to extend the DRAM size to 8MB
165 18) Added the "enter" key support when setting the BPM (Breapoint)
166 19) Save the windows positions, size and visibilities (show or hide) status
167 -- Such windows will automatically respawn in the next emulator launch
168
169 Release 1 (12th February 2017)
170 ------------------------------
171 0) BPM (Breapoint) now stop at the designated address and no longer stop after executing the code
172 1) Clean-up the tracing / no-tracing flags for better U.I understanding
173 2) Added SP (Stack) browser
174 3) User can change now the number of lines of disassembly displayed in the tracing window
175 4) User can turn on/off the op-codes associated in the disassembly lines displayed in the M68K tracing window
176 5) Added an emulator status window (GPU status, M68K debugger and tracking status)
177 6) Added a GPU disassembly tracing window - Display the current PC pointer
178 7) Added a DSP disassembly tracing window - Display the current PC pointer
179 8) Added possibility to change refresh rate of browsers when emulation is launched
180 9) Display partial hardware labels (Internal Memory and Graphics sub-system address space) in the disassembly lines displayed in the M68K tracing window
181 -- Display first the hardware labels (based from the Jag V8 dev. PDF) and then the ones possibly found in the ELF debug symbol
182 10) Minor U.I cosmetic changes
183 11) User can turn on/off the hardware labels associated in the disassembly lines displayed in the M68K tracing window
184 -- It doesn't apply to the hardware labels possibly found in the ELF debug symbol
185
186 Release 0 (5th January 2017)
187 ----------------------------
188 0) New option --debugger
189 1) ELF format support
190 2) ELF debug symbol support
191 3) "Step Into" code function
192 4) Menus layout dedicated to the debugger
193 5) Added a dedicated main window for tracing (M68K)
194 6) Added a Debugger tab in the config tab
195 7) Visual Studio 2015 project support
196 8) libelf-0.8.13 library support
197 9) 64 bits debug executable only
198
199
200 Known issues
201 ============
202 1) Video output is not displayed due to my OpenGL / QT5 5.5.1 integration with VS 2015 but solved when using the QT 5.9.1 package for VS 2017
203 2) The BPM (Breapoint) remains stuck on his address when user wants to continue the code execution
204 -- Need to trace over the BPM or unset the BPM
205 -- The issue can be prevented if the code doesn't set IRQ, otherwise the IRQ will need to be traced to get back control
206 3) DWARF 2 support
207 -- With GCC: the code must be compiled with the -gdwarf-2 option
208 4) The Local and Watch variables window may display not available type information or empty information
209 -- Such missing information may be included in future release
210 -- The 'const' type may not be reported correctly in the DWARF information
211 5) The 2MB mirroring is no longer applied in case of --dram-max option usage
212 6) Stack must reflect the --dram-max option usage otherwise the stack may be corrupted
213 -- The application needs to set the SP (Stack) in accordance
214 7) The Exception Vector Table window displays only 65 vectors
215 -- Missing vectors may be added in future release
216 8) User needs to manualy check if the Atari Jaguar executable match his source code files
217 -- Otherwise, source code and assembly may not match or leads to instabilities
218 9) The emulator needs to be restarted in case of the following actions occur
219 -- Key bindings changes
220 -- BIOS selection changes and without new executable load
221 10) In the case of a ROM cartridge writing, and with occuring breakpoint, the PC pointer will point at the next instruction and not at the instruction causing the breakpoint
222 11) Emulator will crash in case of wrong address value provided in the memory browser
223 12) The RAM access log is limited to the 2MB
224 13) In various occasions, global variables may be duplicated or without name in the DWARF information
225 -- It may come from the Vlink linker and/or GCC 7.1.0 or 8.2.0 compilation with -gdwarf-2 option
226 14) Source code disply only assembled code from vasm with option -dwarf
227 15) After a new breakpoint set, the breakpoint list window is not refreshed
228 -- User must perform an operation, such code tracing, to see the breakpoints list update
229 16) Some ASCII characters may be not displayed correctly
230 -- It depend how the text is displayed, this is related to the QT/HTML encoding done when reading DWARF file
231 17) Potential legacy crash when leaving emulator in pause mode for a long period of time
232
233 Cosmetic / UX issues
234 ====================
235 1) The SP (Stack) icon color backgound doesn't look similar with the other ones
236 2) The SP (Stack) browser size always open at a forced size no matter if the size has been changed
237 3) Not every features have associated key bindings
238
239 Legacy issues/hints
240 ===================
241 1) Emulator seems to have easter egg(s)
242 -- The option --yarrr displays a single message and end the application
243 -- Pressing F8, while in the main window, will create an extra message in the log file
244 2) The --alpine option force the log file but it can be override if --no-log option is set after the --alpine option
245
246 Project information
247 ===================
248 1) Code based on the Shamus Hammons source code available via Gethub by the 12th September 2017 (2.1.3 Final)
249 2) Visual Studio 2015/2017 project support for 64 bits
250 3) libelf 0.8.13 library 64bits for VS 2015/2017
251 4) libdwarf 1.41 library 64bits for VS 2015, cygwin64 and Msys2/MinGW64
252 5) QT 5.5.1 library 64bits for VS 2015
253 6) QT 5.12.0 library 64bits for VS 2017
254 7) Zlib 1.2.8 library 64bits for VS 2015
255 8) Zlib 1.2.11 library 64bits for VS 2017
256 9) SDL 1.2.15 library 64bits for VS 2015/2017
257 10) The original make files have been modified to follow the requirements and modifications
258 11) The 'Rx' word has been added to the emulator name to make distinction with the official version
259 12) The project is set at https://github.com/djipi/Virtual-Jaguar-Rx
260 13) GPLv3 file document has been renamed as LICENSE, to fit better the GitHub requirements
261 -- Text / License terms are the same
262
263
264 Download statistics
265 -------------------
266 jaguar64eu : 15 downloads for the Release 0 on the 12th Feb, 2017
267 jaguar64eu : 18 downloads for the Release 1 on the 21st May, 2017
268 No downloads statistics available for the Release 2
269 No downloads statistics available for the Release 3