A long time ago there was an application called Black Hole. This application was slow, ponderous and not very pretty. It was public domain. It ran on RISC OS 2. I wasn't happy with it, things had to change, thus Black Hole II was born. This is a list of the changes made since Black Hole II was first created.
1) Support for RISC OS 2 was removed. Black Hole II now requires RISC OS 3.10 or later.
2) All Filer operations are now run by Filer_Action. The advantages of this are:
{tab}
i) A dramatic speed increase when deleting large numbers of files.
ii) Any errors which occur are trapped by the filer and should not crash Black Hole as happened very occasionally in the original (I can't think of everything.....)
{notab}
The disadvantages are:
{tab}
i) When copying to the bin, Filer_Action ignores the access status of files. Thus if Force is off, you still get all the locked files copied although they aren't deleted. However, I don't anticipate many people using this program with Force off.
ii) For Retain Structure, the original would simply not delete any directories. Filer_Action cannot do this, so the structure has first to be copied, then written back once the deletion has finished.
iii) Copies cannot be squashed as they are copied. This version has a Squash option on a menu and an automatic 'Squash on Shutdown' option.
{notab}
3) The file finder has been dramatically speeded up and Archive compatibililty included. Wildcarded searches are now possible, with multiple search paths and multiple search names.
4) DOS partitions are recognised and treated as directories.
5) The bin structure has been changed to have a separate subdirectory for each day of use. This allows more organisation of your rubbish (which may or may not be useful) and also allows the auto deletion to be much faster, which will stop people from shouting at me.
6) Because people complained about my options and radio icons, I've taken them out. The program now uses whichever icons are standard on your machine.
7) 3d icons have been adopted. I have no idea what the Acorn guidelines are, so I've adopted those used by Computer Concepts and Simon Huntingdon's Interface module, since Acorn seem to have copied their icons. (Note: No relation between S.H. and CC is implied.......(got to cover myself!))
8) The Info window has got sillier.
9) I have added an option to use outline fonts in the menus. I like this, but some people prefer consistency - that's why it's an option. Also it does NOT look good in mode 12.... Also, Acorn's latest WIMP actually DOES use an outline font instead of the system font. (We knew you'd get there in the end, Acorn!)
10) The iconbar sprites change from low-res to high-res (and vice-versa) automatically when you change mode (provided you select the option). This is done simply by *IconSprites, which requires disc access so I made it optional. If you are using Andrew Hersee's Filer2 with the WimpSprites module, then the command *WimpSprites will be used instead, which will ensure that the thing still works. This will also work with the AddSprites module.... Anybody else want to write a module to annoy me?
11) A slightly more sensible (ie non-random) version numbering system has been introduced.
12) When not doing anything, BlakHole2 takes up less than 1% of available background time, even with the Clock, Spin,and Screen Saver selected.
13) Black Hole responds to the Task Manager's "Create Boot File" message. In other words, if you save a Desktop Boot file from the Task Manager while Black Hole is loaded, a line will be inserted in the file to run Black Hole. Thus Black Hole will be run automatically on bootup. (Thanks to James Miller for this one.)
14) The BlackHole module has been created. This allows trapping of Filer deletions and also allows BlackHole to notice when something is copied to or removed from its Bin directory and to update its iconbar message accordingly.
15) The BASIC program has been compacted. I apologise to all those people who enjoy "improving" my code, but the thing simply wouldn't fit in memory otherwise. To crunch the program I used the exteremely speedy !BasCrunch by Ragnar Hafstað.
16) Made the Config window a resizable composite window. Thanks to Robin Watts for the algorithm to make it re-sizable.
17) Added 'Module Kill', 'Run File', and 'Add Tiny Dir' options to the menu. These were things that I always wanted an application for....
18) Prettied up the file finder - now uses outline fonts in its results window, the main window is a resizable composite, and it has loads more options.
19) Versions older than 2.14 had a little window which popped up to ask questions and report things to you. This was really an alternative to the rather basic RISC OS error box. With the advent of RISC OS 3.5, the argument for consistency between applications has grown stronger, and 3.5 has a much prettier error box. Consequently I now use the RISC OS error box for all information/confirmation things. People with 3.1 will just have to suffer. This was also an attempt to save some memory. It failed.
20) Some versions of Black Hole II had a facility whereby the program would automatically convert Bin directories from the old format to the new. This has been removed for several reasons:
{tab}
i) The old Bin directory format is very old.
ii) The routine took up valuable memory.
iii) The routine didn't work.
{notab}
21) I've added extra help files and Help buttons on some of the windows.
22) Fixed Singularity so that it works properly across filing systems. Finally!
Erm, except for ArcFS and SparkFS....
23) Ran out of room in my 64K wimpslot.
24) Increased wimpslot to 96K. This enabled the file finder to work and also allowed me to stop using overlays and to stop stealing small chunks of memory from the module area.
25) Added Blackout screen saver.
26) Iconbar clock now resizes if a font is selected, so any size font (almost) can be used. Usually it manages to get the icon centered vertically on the iconbar too.
27) Added a facility whereby BlackHole can be run from read-only media, putting the default bin in !Scrap and the default options files in !System.
28) Added the ignore floppy discs and ignore certain filing systems options to Singularity.
29) Wrote the Master Help System and updated the Help files.
30) Added !Ukelele, which was originally a separate application that never got used.
31) Added a complete list of modules to the Module Kill menu instead of the writeable icon.
32) Changed the way Singularity copies files so that it now works with SparkFS.
33) ...unless you use Spark Dirs as a compression method.
34) Added fast wiping for E and F format discs. Dos 1.44MB is next on the agenda if I can find a way to stop the filer asking me to re-insert the one I've just renamed. Note that for E-format discs I can use an OS call to recreate the disc map. For F-format discs, the machine hangs when I try and do this. I therefore cheat. I hope to fix this soon, too.
35) Removed the menu font option, but added fully configurable iconbar clock font (with proper font menu and everyfink, at last).
36) Removed the 'Run File' option, as this was a source of far too many (indirect) bugs. And I didn't like it and this is PD software so I'm free to do what I like. :-).
37) Fixed several bug reports from various people.
38) Didn't fix several other bug reports.
38) File finder modified to increase wimpslot dynamically to make room for list of found files. Now there is no limit on the number of files that can be in the list (subject to memory, of course).
39) The way the file finder handles archives has been changed to a 'passive' system - the file finder doesn't actually do anything, it just relies on ArcFS or SparkFS to be running and to just work. Which they seem to do (most of the time).
40) The 'Hot Key' routines in Singularity seem to make a lot of things crash. I've fixed this by removing these routines. This will please those of you who have been suffering from the occasional 'Machine crashes after pressing a random key' type problems. Actually I fixed this a long time ago but I forgot to add it to this file.
I think I'll start dating these:
21/10/94 : Fixed a few minor bugs in Blackout, including key detection and what to do if a window opens in front of the saver.
28/10/94 : File Finder can now cope with directories which contain more than 77 items. This means it will cope with things like DOS partitions, and those people who like to put millions of files into the same archive. It may even future proof it against a version of ADFS which does not have this (minor) limitation.
05/11/94 : Added a 'Sounds Like' function to the file finder and to Ukelele, after someone helpfully posted the algorithm onto usenet.
06/11/94 : Updated File Finder so that it can cope with long filenames. Previously these would have caused the 'List Details' window to screw up horribly.
08/11/94 : Cor! Such hard work! Split out file finder so is now a separate task. Also improved lots of bits in it.
Advantages:
{tab}
Main program can use much less memory (wimpslot down to 64K)
Easier to debug
Can have multiple file finders running simultaneously. These routines also do 'Contents==>Info', and 'Contents==>Squash'.
{notab}
Disadvantages
{tab}
'Squash on Shutdown' used the file finder routines. Oh dear.
{notab}
08/11/94 : Removed 'Squash on Shutdown' option after failing to make the new file finder cope with it. This means I no longer have to fix bugs relating to that bit of the program. Don't you just love being in control?
16/11/94 : Removed Ukelele after cursory investigation proved that it didn't work. It was a stupid idea anyway....
Added a 'Module Kill' file for Publisher after someone mailed me with a list of modules as long as my arm. I don't own a copy of Publisher, so I haven't been able to test it.
11 March 95 : Done a few things. Changed so that ADJUST on icon toggles Singularity instead of opening config window. A few people had asked for a method of toggling it that didn't involve showing the sprite or opening the config window.
Also changed it so that the 'Occupied' message now reads 'Full'. This isn't quite as grammaticaly correct, but I was fed up with having to have a wide icon so that I could fit the word 'Occupied' underneath.
14 May 95 : Some people with wierd machines said that the iconbar clock doesn't redraw properly - the icon needs to have a filled background. I've done this but it now means that the icon has to white. This will probably annoy some other people. Life's a bitch.
5th September 1995 : Erm. Fixed bug where you could circumvent the password system in the screen saver by clicking on the window (!!). Not sure what else.
Sometime in October 1995 : Got rid of iconbar clock feature as it ate valuable memory. Clock has now been made into a separate application - !Timeless. And it can now have a grey background. Woopee!
God knows when, but for Version 3.60:
1) Aaagh! Spent lots of money on a RiscPC. O God, what have I done?
2) The stars screen saver doesn't work. Fixed that.
3) File find results window wouldn't put sprites in if desktop wasn't in a 16-colour mode. Fixed this.
4) Lines screensaver can now take full advantage of 16 million colour modes and will draw lines in many many colours.
More Stuff:
1) Added support for Dynamic Areas in RiscOS 3.5 onwards. Old stuff retained for backwards compatibility. I can now use dynamic areas for all those bits where I used to be naughty and use the RMA.
2) Updated BlackHole module to do the same. The easiest way was to create 2 modules - one for RO3.1 and one for RO3.5. The !Run file takes care of which one to load.
Bonfire Night:
File finder changed slightly: Can now write new 'Actions' for it in BASIC as overlays. One day I might document this so other people can do it, but it's very messy so maybe I won't.
Day after : Right, documented that.
10/11/95 : File finder now displays find results as it goes rather that waiting until the end. Much nicer.
11/11/95 : Changed Blackout Configuration so that it now has a separate writable icon for each parameter. This required a change to the format of the options file and the Savers themselves. The new format options file has a different name to the old one. Old ones will be ignored. Old format savers will cause it to crash.
Seem to have managed a lot in a short space of time. This is due to a method of programming known as Speed Coding. The ethos goes something like:
{tab}
1) Type in the barest amount of code necessary to get it to work.
2) Stop there.
{notab}
Oh yeah, made top right corner of screen a 'No Sleep' corner for Blackout.
8th December 1995 : Started work on complete re-write of Help system, as you see it now.
1996, sometime. A few tidyings-up etc, wrote some psychedelic screen savers, rewrote Blocks saver so that it takes up much less CPU time AND runs faster. Wheeeeeeeeee!
Jan '96
A bit of rewriting of file finder to make it so you can double-click on or drag from the results window. It also highlights the selected line, as it should have done all along.
Fixed a lot of bugs in the screen saver's password thing, as reported by Kinesh Patel. Thanks to him.
For version 4.00
Probably the last version. No. Rephrase that. Hopefully the last version. Changed the Config window. Added Random saver to Blackout. Added Trap Overwrites to Singularity. Added Ian Clark's bit to make Blackout restore the caret when it quits. Added SparkFS Compatibility mode to Singularity. More and more and more. Re-wrote the Help files to take account of all this. Got bored. Fell asleep. Released buggy code onto an unsuspecting world. Ah Well, who gives a donkey's bum anyway?
For version 4.03
Never again will I say that this is the last version. Can't remember exactly what went in but it included changing Singularity so it would ignore specified paths, not filing systems. This solved a few problems with ArcWeb and NewsBase. I may have made a few changes to some of the screensavers, like removing some of the crap ones.
Various internal changes: No longer does *BinOff before starting a bin deletion - it now does *BinAddPathToIgnore.
Singularity module now auto-detects the presence of SparkFS and uses compatability mode accordingly. This will probably annoy lots of people who use ArcFS, but I don't know 'cos my version's read only.
