What happened?

[fhub]

Hi,

sorry for posting in English, but I don't speak French at all.

The lastest XCAS (from today) doesn't work anymore under Windows 98!
When starting it loads without any error message, but simply does nothing, no GUI window at all (the taskmanager shows that it's in memory though).

This is the very first time I have problems with XCAS, it always has worked in the last years under Win98.
So have you changed your compiler?
I hope this will not be the end of support for Win98 ...

Regards,
Franz

[parisse]

I did not change the compiler, but the fltk graphic library version, it's a change to support UTF-8 character coding. Is there UTF-8 support for windows 98? Anyway, I will recompile a version of xcas using the old fltk graphic library from time to time for 98 users.

[fhub]

Is there UTF-8 support for windows 98?

I'm not sure but it seems not, otherwise this new version would have no problem.

Anyway, I will recompile a version of xcas using the old fltk graphic library from time to time for 98 users.

Well, it's not necessary to make an extra version only for me (I'm sure almost nobody else is still using Win98) - if this new fltk-lib is really necessary then I'll just have to stop using newer versions and stay with the latest one from 1st Nov. that was still working ...

[parisse]

I don't think you are the last one using win98, there are certainly other old computers around, and I will continue to support them as long as I can. I will upload a xcas98.zip file tomorrow that replace the executable and dll of xcasinst.exe.
The new FLTK probably dropped win98 support, but it is required for translation in Greek. It will also provide some improvements like sessions with more than 16000 pixels.

[fhub]

I will upload a xcas98.zip file tomorrow that replace the executable and dll of xcasinst.exe.

Thanks, that's really kind of you!

I just also had a similar idea:
I guess all this FLTK stuff is contained only in xcas.exe (the GUI), and giac.dll contains only the mathematical parts (i.e. the CAS), right?
So maybe it would also work to use an older xcas.exe with future updated giac.dll, or would you see problems with such a combination?

[parisse]

Perhaps, but since I'm not 100% sure, I prefered to recompile giac.dll (but not the object files). You should now be able to check (I have updated the install page).

[fhub]

You should now be able to check (I have updated the install page).

Yes, it's working again in Win98, many thanks!

But there's still one thing confusing me:
Running XCAS in console mode I've always used giac.exe together with the terminal program rxvt.exe (maybe you remember, I've sent this to you a few years ago).
But in your new xcas98.zip there's no giac.exe but an icas.exe.
This icas.exe has always been included in your xcasexe.zip, but it has been a version from 2007 and was not working in Win98, so I've just ignored it in the past.
Since your release yesterday (and also the Win98 version of today) there's a new icas.exe version, and this one is now running also in Win98 (under rxvt terminal).

So now I have a giac.exe from yesterday and a icas.exe from today, and both are working ok here as XCAS console.
Now I'm confused which of both to use - I don't see any differences between them!?
Maybe you can explain the difference (if any?), or is it just a mistake that you have included icas.exe instead of giac.exe in todays xcas98.zip?

[parisse]

There is no difference, under Unix, icas and giac are symlinks.
Nice to see that it works again with win98!

[fhub]

There is no difference, under Unix, icas and giac are symlinks.

Ok, but then it's a bit strange that yesterdays xcasexe.zip has both files, and they even have different sizes:
giac.exe 2360230 bytes (13.11.2009 / 11:17)
icas.exe 2536448 bytes (13.11.2009 / 11:58)

[fhub]

Oops, I've just discovered that the current giac.dll does no longer work with the xcas.exe for Win98 (from 17.12.2009)!

[parisse]

Probably because some headers have changed. I'll recompile the win98 xcas.exe next time I make a win update.

[fhub]

Probably because some headers have changed. I'll recompile the win98 xcas.exe next time I make a win update.

Thanks, that would be nice!

Maybe you could automate this process and include such a xcas98.exe within your regular xcasexe.zip updates!?
This file is not so big ...

[alain974]

Hi,

Please let me post a few suggestions (only suggestions, no obligation!)

1: As you seem to be rather familiar with giac, why not use an other shell than xcas, like WinTeXmacs? I use the Linux version and I am rather satisfied with it (the "pretty-print" uses LaTeX and is someway prettier than the "usual" pretty-print). With TeXmacs you will have very beautiful outputs, but no menu, no GUI to program xcas, no tables, no online help. All this depends on what you really do with xcas. And when you install TeXmacs over giac, you don't uninstall xcas...

2: Don't you feel you are ready to discover Linux? You can install it in dual-boot, which means you won't corrupt your W-98 in any way, you just need some room on your HD to install it. And you will have the "real" xcas, the "original" one!

Once again these are only suggestions, there is no absolute need to change your habits, just consider this as a personal experience (mine). I have felt that installing Linux on an old computer makes it much newer (if the installation works...).

[parisse]

The 98 version is updated, I hope it works...

[fhub]

The 98 version is updated, I hope it works...

Thanks, it's working now again!
(well, at least until the next major change in giac.dll ... )