[REBOL] State of the REBOLion, Nov/2002 (RT News)
From: carl::s::rebol::com at: 2-Nov-2002 9:41
Hello REBOLers,
Here is a quick update on what's happening with REBOL - and, the many
changes that you can expect to see during November. This is a long list,
so we'll keep it short and to-the-point.
1. REBOL/Core - Minor release that include bug fixes and changes.
Important fixes will include the /skip (file seek) problem, and
/direct/read/lines problem, as well as others.
2. REBOL/View - Including the above changes and a few new VID styles.
In addition, VID has been modified to reduce its memory usage by
making a few fields of the VID-face object optional in Layout.
(For significant VID style changes, see below.)
3. REBOL/Core and REBOL/View licenses - Will become less restrictive.
You can use as many copies of /Core and /View within your organization
for free.
4. REBOL/Base and REBOL/Face - We have created minimized versions of
REBOL that boot significantly faster and take much less memory.
These versions are exclusively for professional developers who
want to shape precisely what they need from REBOL, and they will
be part of our new SDK, mentioned below.
5. REBOL/Encap - A number of improvements have been made to Encap
to make it easier to build a single executable file that includes
both REBOL and your program. This new version includes a built-in
preprocessor for #includes, better command line options (similar
to what you would expect from a compiler), drag and drop builds,
and more optimized output. /Encap is part of the new SDK, below.
6. REBOL/SDK - A new package for developers that includes /Base, /Face,
/Encap, prebol 2.0 (preprocessor), installer (you can now make custom
self-installing programs), and source code to REBOL source-based
modules, including protocols, network modules, view modules (including
the source code to VID), and more. Programs created with the SDK
can be used in an unlimited fashion within your organization (but,
sales of programs will require our standard /Encap royalty license).
Price: $249 for standard package. Additional costs for /Command modules
and advance payment on redistribution. Relaxed licensing on use of
REBOL API within Encapped programs. Upgrades will be available to
existing Encap users. Recent purchasers of Encap (2002) will receive
the SDK at no charge. Educational discounts are also available.
7. REBOL/IOS - We will be updating REBOL/Serve and REBOL/Link to be
consistent with the above changes in related products. (E.g. so fixes
like /skip seek will become available in IOS reblets too.)
Other projects also underway:
1. The VID Enhancement Project: Purpose is to improve the capabilities
of standard VID styles. This is a coordinated effort by a group of
developers and us. Complete source code will be available and open,
and we hope to include it as part of future versions of REBOL/View.
2. REBOL Script Library 2.0: Purpose is to significantly improve the
REBOL on-line script library. This is also a coordinated effort among
a small team of developers who are using IOS to collaborate and manage
the library. More information to be released soon.
3. New Feedback System - Yes, we will say it: "Our feedback system sucks."
There. Now you know that even we agree with you on that topic. We are
overhauling the entire system to allow us to: 1) more rapidly respond
to feedback, 2) better keep track of bugs and enhancements, 3) provide
higher quality answers, 4) give you the option of being notified when
a bug is fixed, 5) forward new FAQs to the FAQ web-page in a timely
fashion.
4. Additional Programmer Documentation - For both View and IOS developers.
5. Monthly "State of the REBOLion" updates - Starting as of this message
we will provide regular monthly news updates to keep you informed.
(We also hope to recruit members from the REBOL community to contribute
useful information, hints, docs, and scripts.)
6. In recent months we've also had a strong interest from a variety of
educational institutions, including many international universities,
and we encourage and support the use of REBOL for teaching new programming
techniques and better methods of Internet communications. We will offer
significant discounts on our professional products to educational
organizations.
Finally, we want to let you know that REBOL Technologies remains fully
committed to our language, products, and community. We know that REBOL is
an amazing technology and tool. We use REBOL hundreds of times a day in every
facet of our business, and it has saved us significant time and money over
the years. We hope you have had a similar experience, and we will continue
to improve on it.
Keep on REBOLing,
-Carl Sassenrath
Founder and Chairman
REBOL Technologies
http://www.rebol.com
