Compiler compatibility for next Orbiter version

[martins]

Important information for addon developers:

From the next version, the Orbiter executable and its associated libraries will be compiled with MS VS2005. This means that addons linking to the orbiter library will need to be compiled with a compatible compiler. Specifically, backward compatibility with MS VC++6 is not guaranteed. If you are still using version 6, please consider upgrading. Have a look at the free compiler setup page on the orbiter wiki.

If there are any severe problems with the compiler upgrade, please let me know.

On the plus side, setting up the free compiler should become easier, because many of the code and setup incompatibilities should now go away.

If you are concerned about compatibility of your addons with the next orbiter version, it would be a good idea to regularly check for new public betas (list available here: http://orbitervis.wiki.sourceforge.net/OrbiterPublicBeta ) and to try compiling your addons against the latest beta. Note that this is just a service for addon compatibility assurance! Be careful not to distribute any addons linked against beta versions.

After so much incompatibility, please repeat five times:
Compatible compilers compile compatible code ...

 

[Tschachim]

Thanks a lot for the notice, I wondered already which compiler version will get used.
Also many thanks for the new beta version!

 

[Urwumpe]

Thank Djikstra, I just upgraded to 2008.

And can I add a new mantra to the praying wheels?

Warnings are bad! Warnings are bad! ...

 

[santy86]

Dear martins,

First of all thanks for all your work (i guess more like an hobby ) and also for the information.

 

[martins]

I should point out that the note above refers to the compilation of addons against the next version, not to already existing binary addon dlls. I am trying to maintain backward compatibility as far as possible, so existing addons should keep working (but again, to be sure test them with the orbiter betas). If you do spot any major backward incompatibilities with your addons, please let me know so that we can try to work it out.

 

[Woo482]

will the Delta glider IV be compatable with the new orbiter?

 

[Urwumpe]

will the Delta glider IV be compatable with the new orbiter?

Can't you wait until the next version is released before asking such a question? How should somebody know, when it is not known to anybody on this planet, how the final released Orbiter will be like?

Also: You can be sure DanSteph will deal with it before the next orbiter version is released. Or release the new DGV seconds after the new Orbiter version.

 

[Tschachim]

(Post moved to new thread: http://orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?t=1876)

 

[Rosey]

I think that making the new upgraded Orbiter, in a way that does not allow us to use previous add-ons will destroy the Orbiter community.

Here are my reasons

If you do not let AMSO and other great add-ons work with the new enviroment, I believe that all the guys who have worked so hard so far will just quit. AMSO and many other great work took alot of time and efford to do. They are a work in progress since additional upgrades are always being made to enhance older add-ons. I believe that if all this work is not allowed to continue, these programers will not want to put all that efford again into these projects. SO I HOPE THAT THE FUTURE ORBITER VERSION WILL ALLOW OLDER PROGRAMS TO WORK!!

Also, not everytbody has new computers with power and video capable to handle a more detailed program ... as you can see right now with some add-ons, hi-res addons wil not work with everyones machines. This is not fair to those who do not have the mney or the desire to upgrade exsisting computers. It would be very bad if Window XP will not work with the new orbiter program since many people prefere this enviroment

As Martin, unless you are planning to make the new orbiter as user friendly as the one we have now, just remember an old saying

IF IT AIN'T BROKE.....DON'T FIX IT!!!!

 

[dbeachy1]

A few points:

First, as Martin said, the goal is to make the new Orbiter version as backward-compatible as is practical, but it is unrealistic to expect Martin et al. to continue development using the 6.0 version of MSVC++ that came out ten years ago in 1998.

Second, for those add-ons that are not binary-compatible with the new Orbiter version, it should be straightforward for those authors to recompile their add-ons using either VS 2005 or the free version of VS 2008.

Third, and most importantly, remember that nobody will be forced to run the new Orbiter version. If some users have older hardware and/or want to run old add-ons that are now unsupported, Orbiter 2006 P1 will continue to run perfectly fine for those users.

If you do not let AMSO and other great add-ons work with the new enviroment, I believe that all the guys who have worked so hard so far will just quit. AMSO and many other great work took alot of time and efford to do.

Speaking as an add-on developer myself, I can tell you that the last thing that an add-on developer wants to do is just "walk away" from thousands of hours of work just because it would have to be recompiled for a new Orbiter version. I can't speak for the AMSO team, but I am pretty sure they feel the same way.

 

[Rosey]

I understand, but I am still concerned about some people whoi have older computers with limited video .. I have brand new computer and I still can not run some video intense addons. I will continue to use 2006 and will try 2008, but my problem is that if I can't use it, I will miss out on all those new addons. I guess many guys who come here from all over the world will have that same problem and that is not fair to them

 

[tgep]

1) Thank you for Orbiter !
2) My girlfriend blames you for my simulator addiction. :lol:
3) Thank you for continuing Orbiter developement
4) Many thanks for the heads up on the Runtime Environment. Nothing I have worked on yet requires a specific runtime but since I started developer training, I've been working strictly with MSVE-2008.

[EDIT]
Latest Orbiter Beta downloaded for future compatability testing.

 

[Rosey]

Live long and prosper and may the force be with you!!!

 

[dc3dreamer]

Those with old computers and limited resources can always continue with Orbiter 2006. I laud Martin and the team for moving forward. I would have just bit the bullet and gone with VS 2008. Once making the break, the next stop should have as long a life as possible.

To Urwumpe - warnings are good! Code that compiles with a lot of warnings is bad.

 

[dumbo2007]

I took the upgrade advice a bit too seriously and am now compiling with MS VC++ 2008 :thumbup:...but I wonder if the MS VC++ 2008 redistributable will now need to be supplied by me when I publish an addon - I think msvcrt9.dll or some similar file - as Orbiter would be using the 'older' MS VC++ 2005 redistributable.

 

[Abloheet]

VC++ compiler problem

There is a problem with VC++ 2008 compiler in my computer(Toshiba Satellite A200-Intel Core2Duo T7100 1.80 Ghz, 2 GB Ram, Windows Vista Business SP1)
When I tried to compile the Atlantis code after changing values in
Atlantis.h in OrbiterSDK of Orbiter Beta 2010,
it showed the following error-
"1>Performing Custom Build Step
1>'C:\Orbiter' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
1>operable program or batch file.
1>Project : error PRJ0002 : Error result 255 returned from 'C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe'."
What is causing this problem

 

[RisingFury]

The good news is: Nothing is wrong with your computer, or the compiler.

The bad news is: You screwed up, when setting up the compiler for OrbiterSDK.
Read the wiki article on how to set up the compiler... carefully.

 

[EtherDragon]

The good news is: Nothing is wrong with your computer, or the compiler.

The bad news is: You screwed up, when setting up the compiler for OrbiterSDK.
Read the wiki article on how to set up the compiler... carefully.

The idea is that the new version of Orbiter should work out of the box (pretty much) with the latest edition(s) of VC++ Express.

 

[dbeachy1]

The problem listed by the OP is not an Orbiter problem: the problem is that the OP created an invalid post-build step in his project:

"1>Performing Custom Build Step
1>'C:\Orbiter' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
1>operable program or batch file.
1>Project : error PRJ0002 : Error result 255 returned from 'C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe'."

Specifically, the post-build step was configured to execute 'C:\Orbiter', which is obviously not a valid command -- it is trying to "execute" a directory name. The solution is to either remove the invalid post-build step or fix it so that it runs the desired command. In any case, a post-build step is not required in order to build the Orbiter samples. To sum up, the problem is in the MSVC++ project set-up, not with Orbiter or the sample source code.