Static variables should be removed, definitely. This is a requirement for a final release, in my opinion.

I am making the wrappers a priority, so that should happen fairly soon. Since the aim is integrating Csound 5 with Common Music, I will have a better report on the API usability after I have tested that.

I wish to raise another question: do we want a GUI front end in the "distribution?"

Regards,
Mike



-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony Kozar 
Sent: Oct 13, 2005 1:50 PM
To: New Csound Developer list 
Subject: [Cs-dev] Re: When can we release Csound 5 ??

This is really a developer discussion, so I've moved it to this list.

Istvan Varga wrote on 10/13/05 4:51 AM:

> Not sure about that, although it does not seem like any canonical
> release is going to happen this year. Maybe the next summer, but I
> would not bet on that either.

That sounds very un-optimistic!  I am beginning to think that we are very
close to a release now.  There are just a few things to tidy up and then
write the installers in my opinion.  (With the possible major change of
adding the opcode metadata that I would like to do -- maybe I can get an
exact proposal mailed out to the dev list this weekend on that).

I know that you asked for more feedback on the API.  I made a few comments
and expressed concerns about Cscore and the ability to use both 32-bit and
64-bit libraries from the same host.  I have almost finished rectifying the
Cscore API issues.  (Cscore may not work, but the API for it is possibly
stable -- may need one more function added for an lplay() callback).  And as
far as the multiple-libraries-one-host issue, you consoled me on that.  I am
not _certain_ of getting it to work, but that is mostly just because I have
not actually tried it.

jpff@codemist.co.uk wrote on 10/13/05 7:57 AM:

> I think a cannonical release will take place this month.  No one has
> explained why not.
> ==John ffitch

While I think next summer is an overly pessimistic estimate, I am not
convinced that we can release immediately.  Here are the things that I see
that need to be done or decided definitively:

**  Does everyone accept the current API?  Does it meet all of your
anticipated needs for your host applications?  What needs to change?

    Everyone should email their explicit assent here, I think.  (And I would
    like to hear from EVERYONE whom this affects:  Michael, Steven, John,
    John, Istvan, Matt, Gab, Iain, Jean (Piche), Andre, Gerard, Victor, (me)
    and anyone else I may have forgotten).  Everyone who develops or has any
    intention of developing an API client needs to review the API soon and
    weigh in on this issue!!

** Who is going to take on the responsibility for the installers?  For
Linux?  For Windows?  For MacOS X?

    We need someone for each platform who can hopefully test on a variety of
    system versions (this seems especially important for OS X).  Each
    installer maintainer should make sure that essential libraries that are
    unlikely to be included on their platform in the needed configuration
    (libsndfile, PortAudio, FLTK, etc.) are either statically linked in or
    included with the Csound package.

    I am, of course, volunteering to take care of these issues for MacOS 9.
    (I know -- "whoop-dee-doo" some of you are thinking :)  I can also help
    to test an installer on OS X 10.2 and 10.1.

** Michael needs to complete and incorporate the various language wrappers.

    I say "just do it" and then let's determine if any problems arise from
    building them into the library.  We can always make them optional or
    reverse if necessary.

** We need to make a final decision on the metadata issue.

    I will try very hard to get a proposal to the list by Sunday.  And if
    accepted, I will do the grunt work of adding the data (although others
    are welcome to help).

** I think the issue of loadable/plugin and/or named GEN functions was left
incomplete.  Do we need to finalize an interface for this?

    Last time I looked at how this was being done, I was very unhappy with
    the mechanism for deciding if a loaded module contained a GEN function.

** I notice that there are still statics in several files.  How much of a
problem are these?


I think that covers everything that I am aware of.  I suggest that we set a
goal of resolving all of these issues in the next TWO WEEKS.  That means
everyone (including myself) will need to make the time to look at the code
and respond about the above questions before then.  If so, then we can have
a Cs5rc1 release out about Halloween  :)

The release candidates do not have to be released simultaneously but the
code in CVS should be tagged and each platform should use the same code.
Then I suggest a period of testing of the release candidates by users and
developers alike for ONE MONTH.  Therefore, about Dec. 1st we should again
ask each other "what needs to be done for a final release?"

We can spend the next few weeks resolving any issues and testing.  The final
release though of Csound 5.00 needs to be SIMULTANEOUS on ALL platforms.
That means not releasing until every platform says "OK, we're ready!"

I sincerely hope that if we can follow this schedule, that Csound 5.00 FINAL
will be out by Christmas Day, 2005 !  Wouldn't that be a wonderful
end-of-the-year present to our community?  (And just in time for Csound's
20th anniversary year beginning in 2006!)


David Akbari wrote on 10/13/05 8:41 AM:

> I am worried though that others like myself may not be able to continue
> to build Csound5 from canonical sources if more dependencies than are
> currently supported are required in the build.

> I think it would be nice to see the python opcodes (and others) able to
> build _without_ CsoundVST however I feel like there would need to be
> some massive changes in the code to allow that to be possible.

> I don't think a user should ever have to mess with these things just to
> make music with Csound.

I don't think they should have to either!  That is why binary installers
WILL be provided, I hope, for every platform.


Anthony Kozar
anthonykozar AT sbcglobal DOT net
http://akozar.spymac.net/



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