S60 Open to new features

Read the press release...

It took longer than expected, but I think you'll agree that it was good of us to take our time: Carbide.c++ 1.2 is now ready and available for download.

Let me share with you the key features about this release. It introduces new features that ease Symbian development; but it also improves on a set of existing features that I think you'll find make your job easier.

(All) Build system - in many ways, the Symbian build system is a source of a lot of tooling problems for us, so for 1.1 we introduced a managed make -type system that was supposed to allow for better overall flexibility. However, the build system didn't provide us with the quick responsiveness a tool needs in order to address new reference designs as they become available, so we went back to the drawing board and implemented a build system that takes a very different approach: It simply calls into the command line tools. Although this brings some new issues, the result as a whole is an order of magnitude faster (think 10x for complex projects), and we offer a few new features as well - single file build, abld target to name a few. Oh, and importing is faster -- in fact, the more complex the project, the bigger the improvement.

(All) MMP editor - possibly the best-liked new feature by our beta group, the MMP editor provides a visual interface to the MMP file, as well as direct access to the file. It makes operations less error-prone, yet gives you full flexibility to customize the MMP. See the MMP Editor screencast for more information.

(All) Code browsing & navigation - Eclipse's C++ Development Tools project (CDT) gives us all our C/C++ specific features that we can't live without. Carbide.c++ 1.1 was based on 3.1, and as the product project went on, it turned out that we could fix a lot of long-standing bugs by migrating to CDT MS5 release, which mostly contained fixes to e.g. the indexer, which has been a thorn in the side of CDT for a while. What we didn't count on was the success of the code browsing and navigation features that came with the update. If there ever was a stealth feature that ended up being a success, this would be it.

(PRO) Power consumption analysis - Newer Nokia phones support power tracing. Install thethe Performance Investigator, run your favorite use case, and then view the CPU and power consumption profile for the use case. A "jump to source" feature means you can now jump to the line of code that was being executed at a given point in time -- so finding the code resulting in power drain is easier than ever.

(OEM) Stop-mode debugging - Those familiar with CodeWarrior OEM Edition know that an IDE is a great thing to have when working with reference hardware -- but configuring an in-circuit emulator can be tedious. With the help of Eclipse launch configurations (customized to work with Carbide.c++ & Lauterbach / Sophia ICEs), connecting to a TI H4 or an OEM wingboard is easy stuff.

(OEM) Crash debugger view - Another easier-to-use feature: If your phone has crashed, you can now dial into the crash debugger, and view the system state in the actual debugger view - no need to scroll through a long text file. ´

+ last but not least - Carbide.c++ Plug-in SDK - Time will tell the value of this one - but I expect this to be a long-term success. The plug-in SDK allows other developers to write custom tools that use APIs we've exposed in our build system and elsewhere in the tool. Tool extension writers like Macrobug will probably make good use of it. Perhaps you can, too?

Aside from the new features, we also worked hard to fix bugs. We had an awesome beta group and with their assistance and enthusiasm, were able to improve on critical areas to make the product that much better.

I'll post instructions on how to get your hands on the product separately.

I'd like to introduce to you the new product manager for Carbide.c++, Mike Trujillo. He will be taking over responsibilities for product strategy, feature definition, launch execution and all that other good stuff that comes with the turf -- starting now. I suppose most of this work will focus on Carbide.c++ 2.0, so if you have a great feature idea, let him know!

Mike is no stranger to Carbide.c++; he's worked with us for 2½ years as "the marketing guy", responsible for outbound marketing of Carbide.c++. You may have seen him at tradeshows -- or more likely, as the originator of some decidedly quirky emails :-)... He worked previously at Texas Instruments, and after a glass or two of wine will be happy to tell you the story of the little LFC connector he marketed back in the day.

Please welcome Mike and make him feel at home by sending him all your feature requests!

As for me, I've worked on Symbian C++ tools product management for 3½ years now, and have worked in Austin, TX for the last 2 years. We're now moving back to the motherland and in the process I'll be focusing on tools for themes, phone customization, and UI in general -- so Carbide.c++ UI Designer, Carbide.ui, and some other stuff will be my new playarea. In that sense this is not goodbye, since I'll still be on the hook for figuring out our UI design toolset. I'll probably pop back in this blog, or start another one.

Regardless, it's been good. As the dolphins said, "So long, and thanks for all the fish!"

 Carbide.c++ 1.2 is now out of beta, and we're finalizing the GM build for release in about two weeks.

In the meantime, Beta Release 4 (build 22) is now available for anyone to download -- so if you want to use Carbide.c++ to develop for Open C, or simply want to migrate to a better version of Carbide.c++, get it here.

And, as always, let us know what you think, and how we can make the tool better.

I'll send a note as soon as the final release of 1.2 is available.