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VIZ.NEW
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1991-06-06
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┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ VIz ─ Copyright (c) 1989-1991 by F.M. de Monasterio. All rights reserved. │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
What is new in version 4.12
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Usage/Status/Help panel was reorganized for clarity; mouse support was
added to facilitate the various displays. On-line Help text was added and
some non-resident video display routines were improved.
What is new in version 4.10
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Resident was changed to permit use of self-modifying code to increase video
acceleration performance, including the ANSI filter. Both resident and non-
resident routines have also been improved for faster operation in 086, 286,
and 386+ processors.
What is new in version 4.03
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The DOS environment variable 'VIZ' can now be directly updated or created in
the (master) DOS environment by means of switch /E. Unlike the SET command,
which modifies the default environment block (whether it is the global [i.e.
that used by the initial copy of COMMAND.COM] or a local one [i.e. that used
by a secondary copy]), switch /E always modifies the global DOS environment.
This allows to modify the environment variable even when 'shelling out' from
any application, in which case the SET command would not be useful to modify
the environment block. Resident and non-resident 386-specific code has been
tightened in the 386 release. A minor bug in single-digit octal input (/Bn)
has been fixed. ANSI performance has been improved a little more.
What is new in version 4.02
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Direct high-memory loading introduced. Switch /L allows the resident code to
be installed directly in high memory (i.e. at conventional memory between 640
kb and 1,024 kb [1 Mb]). This avoids not only the initial load sizing of the
program by some (386) memory managers, but also the need to have available up
to 64 kb of free high memory to install a resident of less than 1 kb. An EXE
format has been reintroduced as it provides better file compression.
What is new in version 4.01
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Further resident code tightening to improve acceleration performance in 32-bit
bus 386+ machines.
What is new in version 4.00
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Real mode 386 version introduced. See VIZ.DAT for comparisons with 16-bit and
32-bit bus machines. Fixed problem in cursor positioning when first installed
without initial scrolling of the screen.
What is new in version 3.72
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Modified the way that the BIOS alternate print-screen service is selected when
the card is a VGA or EGA. Switch /S+ or /S-, or just /S, must be requested at
installation time for the alternate service to be selected. (Some EGA cards do
not work properly when this BIOS service is selected.)
Fixed cursor shape when changing from a 25-line screen to 43 (EGA) or 50 (VGA)
line displays. Switch /V- enforces an invisible cursor until the cursor module
is inactivated (/V+), or the whole resident is inactivated (/Q) or uninstalled
from memory (/U).
ANSI filter acceleration factors have been increased considerably. See VIZ.DAT
for actual values and comparisons with other accelerators.
What is new in version 3.71
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Only minor changes have been introduced. Confirmation is not required anymore
before the program will uninstall itself from high-DOS memory.
What is new in version 3.70
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Resident code was restructured to permit also control of the frequency (pitch)
of the speaker's beep with fixed duration, a faster handling of DOS output via
switch /Z+, and a slightly faster handling of BIOS services. The resident size
of the accelerator module has been increased only by 30-odd bytes. Switch /X±
(versions 2.41 through 3.63) has been removed. For other code changes, please
read the file VIZ.DOC. Benchmark data are now listed in the file VIZ.DAT.
What is new in version 3.63
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Additional small increase of acceleration obtained by the use of machine opcode
instructions in the resident component. Resident size has been decreased in the
086+ version. ANSI filter efficiency has been increased by a factor of about 3
with respect to that of ANSI.SYS (the size of the resident ANSI filter has been
reduced). When the DOS command line is empty, VIz searches the DOS environment
for a string containing configuration switches ('VIZ=/switch1/switch2...') that
are implemented if VIz is executed from the DOS command line without arguments.
What is new in version 3.62
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Minor changes were introduced in both resident and nonresident code. There is a
further (small) increase of video acceleration in 286+ machines, especially for
DOS video output. Resident size remains unchanged.
What is new in version 3.61
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two small changes were introduced in the resident code, 286 version, for better
implementation of fast screen scrolling. Removed some redundant data registers
in both versions, but resident code reduction is less than the 16-byte rounding
off used for TSR allocation, so resident size appears unchanged in memory maps.
A bug affecting updating of switch /V in version 3.60 has been fixed.
What is new in version 3.60
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The nonresident code has been reduced by not including buffer areas involved in
the displays generated by switch /? and /C?. Memory allocation is now requested
for such areas when these switches are selected. A bug in a macro affecting the
display for /C? (in the BBS-distributed version only) has been fixed. Added /X
and /Z switches to BBS release.
What is new in version 3.50
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some C utilities produced a 64-kb display when encountering an invalid argument
in the command line upon Z-revectoring with version 3.40; this is caused by the
improper setting of a CPU register by these utilities, and has been compensated
for in version 3.50. Nonresident display services have been improved.
What is new in version 3.40
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DOS text output to the screen can be further accelerated by revectoring int 21h
function 40h ("write to device") for DOS handle #1 ("stdout") to VIz via switch
/Z+ (which can be enabled if the ANSI driver is not installed); however, such a
revectoring conflicts with the revectoring of most DOS output to the NUL device
or to a file, unless switch /Z- (the default condition) is used. Z-revectoring
produces DOS output acceleration at least as large as that of X-revectoring and
DOS "raw" mode combined (without CLS conflicts).
What is new in version 3.30
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VIz is back to the its previous COM format due to problems found when trying to
load into high-DOS memory the .EXE format of versions 3.10-3.21, which confused
some high-memory loaders. After the high-memory installation of its residents,
VIz now updates resident parameters without having to use such high loaders (or
to open the high memory), so that the residents can be updated even when enough
high-DOS memory is not available for the operation of a high loader.
What is new in version 3.21
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bug making VIz versions 2.30-3.20 to fail to provide complete video font data
after a call to interrupt 10h, function 11h/subfunction 30h has been corrected.
The resident video page code was changed to decrease time waste imposed by some
higher-language utilities that make repeated, and often unnecessary, video page
(re)settings to the same page number. All changes based on software-timer data.
What is new in version 3.20
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added an independent, small resident module (ca. 100 bytes) that can be used to
force displaying either an alternating block-and-line cursor, whose alternation
rate can be adjusted between about 55 milliseconds and 5.5 seconds (in steps of
55 ms), or a continuously present block cursor. The alternating cursor display
makes it quite easy to locate the cursor in laptop screens.
What is new in version 3.11
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Syntax/Help display now uses its own EGA/VGA color palette; the old palette
contents are restored upon exiting from the display. Non-fatal error and other
operation messages are not displayed (default or switch /N+) unless switch /N-
is selected. Errorlevel codes have been implemented (see VIZ.DOC).
What is new in version 3.10
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The code has been realigned so that nearly all resident program procedures, and
all non-resident procedures start at memory addresses that are a multiple of 4.
This increases execution performance in 286 and, especially, 386 computers. VIz
now uses a compressed, scrambled .EXE file format.
What is new in version 3.00
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The code has been optimized using a software timer to select those instructions
providing faster execution time in situ, so as to correct for the time required
to fetch instructions from memory, independently for the 086 and 286 versions.
VIzMARK benchmarks (version 1.62) have been modified.
What is new in version 2.51
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bug making VIz versions 2.41-2.50 to fail the cyclical redundancy check when
some EGA adapters were detected has been fixed. (Benchmarks remain the same as
those of version 2.50.)
What is new in version 2.50
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both the resident and the non-resident code have been reduced in size. Video IO
acceleration has been improved. A bug that made VIz ignore any further switches
after switch S has been fixed. VIzMARK video benchmarks are included in the VIz
distribution files.
What is new in version 2.44
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A version 2.41-2.43 bug generating an incorrect version message for DOS version
3.00 through 3.09 and 4.00-4.01 has been fixed. The non-resident code has been
compacted a bit to reduce the size of the program. The acceleration of CGA-VIz
has been improved by resident code changes.
What is new in version 2.43
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bug was fixed in an error message routine of version 2.42, that could produce
improper stack restoration upon returning to DOS. Part of the non-resident code
dealing with switches whose implementation clears the video has been changed. A
fully CGA-oriented version (CGA-VIz) is now available.
What is new in version 2.42
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VGA palette control via switch /C is enabled when using the VGA monochrome mode
(as opposed to MDA or HGC emulation modes, which are disabled). This allows for
the reassignment of color codes to 3 monochrome levels. A bug was fixed in the
bell service of version 2.41, that could result in erratic display changes when
switch /X+ was in use. The 086-version resident size has increased slightly to
allow for code more compatible with 8088 machines.
What is new in version 2.41
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DOS text output to the screen can be further accelerated by revectoring int 29h
to VIz via switch /X+ (which is available if the ANSI driver is not installed);
however, such a revectoring conflicts with the CLS command unless switch /X- is
first used, or 3 bytes of COMMAND.COM are patched as shown in the file VIZ.PAT.
Alternatively, a utility such as CLR. COM (see VIz distribution package) can be
used to clear the screen. Read section on interrupt revectoring of VIZ.DOC. The
use of switch /X+ and /R+ increases DOS video output by a factor of nearly 3 or
more.
What is new in version 2.40
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The acceleration of some video outputs was improved by reducing the size of the
resident accelerator code. The mechanism of operation of switch /A- has changed
(see VIZ.DOC). A subtle bug in the window scroll down code, sometimes scrolling
additional lines, has been fixed. The resident accelerator uses 784 bytes (286)
while both the resident accelerator and ANSI driver use 1456 bytes (286). A new
window filling switch /Wn:n has been added to generate fast, colored windows of
the type displayed when the VIz status is requested.
What is new in version 2.34
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was a missing instruction in the resident of version 2.33 that produced a
color change during changes of video mode; version 2.34 corrects this error.
What is new in version 2.33
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Using switch F with a VGA, version 2.32 toggled between 50 and 28 rows, instead
of 50 and 25 rows. Upon font changes (load font and reprogram controller), the
BIOS now loads the font into the internal font pages of the character generator
(for MCGA video cards). Version 2.31 would report a CRC error when executed in
some monochrome systems; version 2.33 solves that problem.
What is new in version 2.32
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part of the nonresident code has been tightened for faster execution. There are
no changes in the resident operation.
What is new in version 2.31
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The resident code was optimized for prefetch queue operation. This has resulted
in a slightly faster video input/output acceleration. A bug in the ANSI driver
has been fixed.
What is new in version 2.30
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since VIz is not likely to be useful with CGA-based displays (for that you need
CGAVIZ.COM), the color implementation of VIz has been changed to take advantage
of the EGA/VGA color palette. Switch /C now allows to remap the Red-Green-Blue
mixture of the palette registers to generate 16 colors of your choice out of 64
possible colors in the EGA and EGA-compatible modes of the VGA. This remapping
can be implemented from the DOS' command line, or from a display of the palette
registers and their contents. Type VIZ /C? for an example of this display.
Read the VIZ.DOC file for more details of the changes. The resident size of VIZ
has been increased only minimally by these changes and remains at 832 bytes for
the 286 version.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[END]