Version 4 Comments

[Guest]

[Ttelmah]

The 'new' look & feel, from Microsoft (which is what the CCS IDE, is trying to use), is another result of marketting winning over sense. Historically the Windows layout for the last few years, was the result of the work a couple of decades ago, at Xerox's Palo Alto research centre, which did a lot of work on how to layout a graphical interface, for good efficiency, and resulted in the core ideas that fed into Gem, Windows, the Apple desktop etc.. Each had their own features, but the basic mouse movements etc., remained the same. Over the years some real improvements in the interface have appeared (scroll button on the mouse for example), but the core has remained.
Unfortunately, MS, in trying to launch a 'new look', have ignored much of the ergonomics of the older interface. Developers writing applications with the new layouts have achieved varying degrees of success. Some have elected to produce a layout that can be customised to become quite efficient. Some like CCS, have produced a layout that is appalling. It'll be interesting when the first case comes against one of the companies like this in a few years, claiming RSI, caused by the new layout as opposed to the older design...
Now the layout of an application should really be the least part of it's structure. Using modern development tools, it should be possible to switch a graphical application to a different layout in a few minute's work, and should have no real effect on the application behind. In many cases, applications expose their actual calls via the API, allowing you to customise the front end completely. So on the MS applications, it is possible to use any of the office applications from inside one another. Hence the way that you can for example change the desktop look on XP, to match Windows 3, without any effect on what can actually be done, and run small script applications with their own look and feel, which use all of the power of the Office applications (for example),'behind the scenes'.
Conversely, CCS, seem to be making a real "pig's ear" of changing the layout, trying to do too much at once (changing both the compiler and the IDE, without getting one working first...), and not allowing the level of customisation possible on most modern applications.
I just wish they'd stop wasting time on the IDE, get the compiler to work, and only then modify the IDE, listening to complaints while doing so.

Best Wishes

[C-H Wu]

I am using CCS 3.228 IDE along with 4.xxx compiler, they do live together happily!

V4 is installed in a directory differently from the V3 directory, then copy the V3 IDE (ccsc.exe and pcw.exe) into the V4 directory, that's all.

Best wishes and ...

Merry X'mas

[Guest]

What happened here? I just downloaded version 4 and I can't believe what I see.

1. Most Programmers have moved away from storing user files in the program directory, instead files are now stored in the User's Documents folder to allow multiuser access to the program with file separation AND to make backups simpler.

2. UI, why would I want to spend ~$500 for a program that has less usable space then the previous version, less usable space to wrote code then my web browser gives me to interact with web pages? You reinvented the wheel and came up with a cube, good work.

A temporary fix might be to have the Menubar autohide to regain wasted screen space.
AVR here I come.

[Martin Berriman]

[Ttelmah]

It probably should do.
I have used the old IDE, with externally sourced assembler. Provided the .cod/.coff files are being generated correctly, it ought to work. Given some time, I'll have a play with this, since it would solve a lot of problems!...

Best Wishes

[Darren Rook]

Mind you, none of what I say should be considered an official statement (please read the forum rules), but here are my comments:

Menu/Ribbon - CCS is evaluating the GUI. CCS would like to give you both options (File Menu -or- Ribbon, which can be user selectable), but they don't have an estimate for completion.

Undo - I cannot recreate a problem with undo. If you have a problem, please e-mail me steps on how to recreate it.
_________________
I came, I saw, I compiled.

[Martin Berriman]

[Guest]

How and when would we know when version 4 is fully bug free

[Storic]

I guess it would be based on the amount of communication to this thread
_________________
What has been learnt if you make the same mistake?

[Ttelmah]

The problem with that, is that a lot of people have just 'given up'...
The last couple of V4 compilers, seem to be largely generating working code, for 'old' stuff. As yet, few of the new features seem to properly work. Addresmod, still doesn't work (the write function is not called). Pointers, show some signs of starting to work in a few places, but little more than 3.249 was managing. The people trying the compiler, in many cases have 'given up' on the IDE, and are using MPLAB, an old V3 IDE, or some similar route round this. The linker does not quite work, but has started to generate an output (just doesn't work yet).
I'd now begin to feel that V4, was at last approaching a 'poor' beta status, and have started gently trying a few more complex tests to see how it fails.
When you think, that it was about eight or nine months ago, that the last properly 'working' update was made to the compiler, for many people, the best part of a year's upgrade subscription, has been a product that they have paid for, and received _nothing_. CCS, need to give all current upgrade holders, and recent purchasers six months free extension to their upgrade rights, to even approach compensating for this...

Best Wishes

[Andreas]

Hi,

Especially to titlmah, I have to agree fully, that CCS should extend the subscribers rights for at least another 6 month to get something for their payments.

Should we start a mailing action, so that CCS is at least recognizing
their failing to suppport paying customers ??

If somebody can write an "honor" email to CCS I will start imm to copy it and send it in my name aswell.

best regards
Andreas

[BOB_SANTANA]

I would have agree with both Andreas & Ttelmah
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BOB_Santana

[Martin Berriman]

[Guest]

Since i have being cheated by CCS
i have decided to list my complier on Ebay for £10 per copy and see if they wont act ASAP