TweetFollow Us on Twitter

May 00 Factory Floor

Volume Number: 16 (2000)
Issue Number: 5
Column Tag: Programming

CodeWarrior for Mac OS X

By Joe Hayden and Matt Henderson, Metrowerks, all rights reserved'

CodeWarrior for Macintosh, Release 6

What's going on with Release 6?

Joe: A lot! Since the CodeWarrior Release 5.3 Update went out in December, we have been working full-steam on Release 6. This is going to be our best and most stable release to date, and we expect to ship the product this Summer. I'll go through some of the new features below, the main one being targeting and hosting on Mac OS X. Apple has built a great OS and we are excited to be providing the tools that the Mac developer community will be using to target it.

IDE 4.1 will be a Carbonized PEF application. It will run on any Mac OS supporting the CarbonLib extension (currently Mac OS 8.1). On Mac OS X the IDE will have the new Aqua look and feel. Under Mac OS 8.1 - 9, it will retain the Classic Mac OS interface.

A new IDE feature enhances Preference Panels, allowing you to import and export to and from XML. We are adding a new Shielded Folders panel that gives the ability to specify which files and folders are skipped during certain operations. Previously, this was accomplished by enclosing the folder name with parentheses. The Shielded Folders panel will let you better define the type of operation for which a given folder should be shielded. For example, you may want to skip a folder for a build, but include it for a file compare operation. This feature will help you meet that demand. We've also added new controls to the Source Tree and File Mappings panels that make working with them more intuitive. In addition, the Remove Object Code dialog will have an option to recurse sub-projects.

The new Debugger will support single machine debugging on Mac OS X as well as remote debugging to X. There will also be new panels and a new UI for better remote debugging support in general.

MSL has been Carbonized. The SiouxWASTE text engine has been updated to WASTE 2.0 for use with Carbon. Other changes since the Release 5.3 Update include new hash containers and vector classes and further reorganization to clean up the increasing number of shared libraries. Multi-target projects will replace MSL Build Libraries, which are being moved to an Obsolete folder. Scripts will be available to load and build the common libraries from the IDE.

An updated Carbonized PowerPlant, Carbonized Profiler, and Carbonized PowerPlant Constructor with Aqua interface will be included in the new release.

What about Mach-O support?

Matt: Apple has told us that Mach-O is the preferred object file format for Mac OS X, and CodeWarrior will support it fully. Already, we've released preliminary versions of our PowerPC C/C++ compiler and linker that can build Mach-O executables. These tools are available on CodeWarrior for Mac Release 5, and will be updated on Release 6. However, they will remain in the pre-release folder in this release.

Our Mach-O compiler is, of course, based on the same C/C++ front-end and PowerPC optimizer that our PEF tools have been using for years. Thus, developers who need to build Mach-O versions of their products can expect the same high level of language conformance and code quality that our existing Mac compiler provides.

Likewise, PowerPlant and MSL have been fully Carbonized, so developers can use them to build Mach-O applications without difficulty.

The IDE does not yet support debugging Mach-O executables, but it will. There are still a number of low-level issues to work out regarding our debugger and Mach-O, and we've already started. You can expect to see full Mach-O debugging support for CodeWarrior in a future release.

At WWDC this month, we'll be providing a road map for our CodeWarrior for Mac products. This will include details on our Mach-O support.

What do you think about Mac OS X and Aqua?

Matt: As a company, Metrowerks is ecstatic about Mac OS X. It's amazingly powerful, it's beautiful to look at, and best yet, it's going to ship. To borrow a phrase, it's "insanely great," and we can't wait until Mac OS X is everywhere.

A lot of us at Metrowerks remember what it was like just after Apple introduced the PowerPC, and that's the level of excitement that Mac OS X has brought to us. We love to watch Apple push the OS envelope, and we're going to help them do that by enabling Mac developers to get their products onto OS X as quickly and easily as possible.

As for Aqua, I'm responsible for a lot of the IDE's user interface, so I've been thinking about it a lot. Like most everyone else, we had no idea that Aqua was on its way. The first time that I saw it was on Apple's web site during MacWorld Expo in January. I was stunned, and more than a little skeptical. Since then, I've had the opportunity to use and work with Aqua, and it's completely won me over. What's most impressive about Aqua is not what's new and different, but how familiar it feels. It's very obvious that Mac OS X is Mac OS, and I think that it's a great triumph for Apple's Aqua designers that they've created an interface that's at once astonishingly innovative and also completely comfortable.

What's going on with MPTP?

Joe: MPTP is alive and well. There have been some changes, including a new administrator, and it is taking a little time to get things running as smoothly as before. There was some concern about a message that went out in February about the MPTP server being temporarily unavailable. This was due to some minor changes being made to our network and it was back up a short time later. Unfortunately, we didn't follow up with a message indicating that the service was resumed, causing some people to think we may discontinue MPTP. This is certainly not the case. In fact, by the time this is published, most if not all Release 6 components should be available from MPTP.

What is the future of CodeWarrior for Macintosh?

Matt: Since Metrowerks is now part of Motorola's Semiconductor Product Sector (SPS) and Apple is Motorola SPS's largest customer, CodeWarrior for Mac OS will continue to be top priority for Metrowerks. The vast majority of software for Mac OS is created with CodeWarrior, so the benefits of CodeWarrior for Mac OS to Motorola SPS are obvious.

With Release 6, you'll see us take care of all the basics for Mac OS X development. After that, we're going to work hard to make sure that developers can fully exploit the power of Mac OS X. In particular, we plan to rapidly incorporate support for new Mac OS X technologies into PowerPlant. Expect to see PowerPlant classes for Apple's new Carbon Events API, the CoreFoundation APIs, the Data Browser API, pre-emptive threading, and the Quartz graphics APIs.

Likewise, we're still hard at work on the rest of our Mac tools. We're improving Java support for Mac OS, and full Java support for Mac OS X is on the way. Now that the IDE has made the transition to Carbon, you can expect many new and cool IDE features. And of course, we never let up on our compilers. We continue to work hard on C/C++ language conformance and PowerPC code generation.

So, the future of CodeWarrior for Mac OS has never been brighter. CodeWarrior was there for you when you needed to move to PowerPC, it's here for you now to move to Mac OS X, and it will be there in the future as Mac OS continues to grow and become more powerful.

Joe Hayden is the Product Engineering Manager for CodeWarrior on the Macintosh. He spends his time developing efficient ways to deliver large software products like CodeWarrior. Write to him at jhayden@metrowerks.com.

Matt Henderson is a senior engineer on the CodeWarrior IDE team and Technical Lead for CodeWarrior Mac OS X tools.

 

Community Search:
MacTech Search:

Software Updates via MacUpdate

Latest Forum Discussions

See All

Tokkun Studio unveils alpha trailer for...
We are back on the MMORPG news train, and this time it comes from the sort of international developers Tokkun Studio. They are based in France and Japan, so it counts. Anyway, semantics aside, they have released an alpha trailer for the upcoming... | Read more »
Win a host of exclusive in-game Honor of...
To celebrate its latest Jujutsu Kaisen crossover event, Honor of Kings is offering a bounty of login and achievement rewards kicking off the holiday season early. [Read more] | Read more »
Miraibo GO comes out swinging hard as it...
Having just launched what feels like yesterday, Dreamcube Studio is wasting no time adding events to their open-world survival Miraibo GO. Abyssal Souls arrives relatively in time for the spooky season and brings with it horrifying new partners to... | Read more »
Ditch the heavy binders and high price t...
As fun as the real-world equivalent and the very old Game Boy version are, the Pokemon Trading Card games have historically been received poorly on mobile. It is a very strange and confusing trend, but one that The Pokemon Company is determined to... | Read more »
Peace amongst mobile gamers is now shatt...
Some of the crazy folk tales from gaming have undoubtedly come from the EVE universe. Stories of spying, betrayal, and epic battles have entered history, and now the franchise expands as CCP Games launches EVE Galaxy Conquest, a free-to-play 4x... | Read more »
Lord of Nazarick, the turn-based RPG bas...
Crunchyroll and A PLUS JAPAN have just confirmed that Lord of Nazarick, their turn-based RPG based on the popular OVERLORD anime, is now available for iOS and Android. Starting today at 2PM CET, fans can download the game from Google Play and the... | Read more »
Digital Extremes' recent Devstream...
If you are anything like me you are impatiently waiting for Warframe: 1999 whilst simultaneously cursing the fact Excalibur Prime is permanently Vault locked. To keep us fed during our wait, Digital Extremes hosted a Double Devstream to dish out a... | Read more »
The Frozen Canvas adds a splash of colou...
It is time to grab your gloves and layer up, as Torchlight: Infinite is diving into the frozen tundra in its sixth season. The Frozen Canvas is a colourful new update that brings a stylish flair to the Netherrealm and puts creativity in the... | Read more »
Back When AOL WAS the Internet – The Tou...
In Episode 606 of The TouchArcade Show we kick things off talking about my plans for this weekend, which has resulted in this week’s show being a bit shorter than normal. We also go over some more updates on our Patreon situation, which has been... | Read more »
Creative Assembly's latest mobile p...
The Total War series has been slowly trickling onto mobile, which is a fantastic thing because most, if not all, of them are incredibly great fun. Creative Assembly's latest to get the Feral Interactive treatment into portable form is Total War:... | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Early Black Friday Deal: Apple’s newly upgrad...
Amazon has Apple 13″ MacBook Airs with M2 CPUs and 16GB of RAM on early Black Friday sale for $200 off MSRP, only $799. Their prices are the lowest currently available for these newly upgraded 13″ M2... Read more
13-inch 8GB M2 MacBook Airs for $749, $250 of...
Best Buy has Apple 13″ MacBook Airs with M2 CPUs and 8GB of RAM in stock and on sale on their online store for $250 off MSRP. Prices start at $749. Their prices are the lowest currently available for... Read more
Amazon is offering an early Black Friday $100...
Amazon is offering early Black Friday discounts on Apple’s new 2024 WiFi iPad minis ranging up to $100 off MSRP, each with free shipping. These are the lowest prices available for new minis anywhere... Read more
Price Drop! Clearance 14-inch M3 MacBook Pros...
Best Buy is offering a $500 discount on clearance 14″ M3 MacBook Pros on their online store this week with prices available starting at only $1099. Prices valid for online orders only, in-store... Read more
Apple AirPods Pro with USB-C on early Black F...
A couple of Apple retailers are offering $70 (28%) discounts on Apple’s AirPods Pro with USB-C (and hearing aid capabilities) this weekend. These are early AirPods Black Friday discounts if you’re... Read more
Price drop! 13-inch M3 MacBook Airs now avail...
With yesterday’s across-the-board MacBook Air upgrade to 16GB of RAM standard, Apple has dropped prices on clearance 13″ 8GB M3 MacBook Airs, Certified Refurbished, to a new low starting at only $829... Read more
Price drop! Apple 15-inch M3 MacBook Airs now...
With yesterday’s release of 15-inch M3 MacBook Airs with 16GB of RAM standard, Apple has dropped prices on clearance Certified Refurbished 15″ 8GB M3 MacBook Airs to a new low starting at only $999.... Read more
Apple has clearance 15-inch M2 MacBook Airs a...
Apple has clearance, Certified Refurbished, 15″ M2 MacBook Airs now available starting at $929 and ranging up to $410 off original MSRP. These are the cheapest 15″ MacBook Airs for sale today at... Read more
Apple drops prices on 13-inch M2 MacBook Airs...
Apple has dropped prices on 13″ M2 MacBook Airs to a new low of only $749 in their Certified Refurbished store. These are the cheapest M2-powered MacBooks for sale at Apple. Apple’s one-year warranty... Read more
Clearance 13-inch M1 MacBook Airs available a...
Apple has clearance 13″ M1 MacBook Airs, Certified Refurbished, now available for $679 for 8-Core CPU/7-Core GPU/256GB models. Apple’s one-year warranty is included, shipping is free, and each... Read more

Jobs Board

Seasonal Cashier - *Apple* Blossom Mall - J...
Seasonal Cashier - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Read more
Seasonal Fine Jewelry Commission Associate -...
…Fine Jewelry Commission Associate - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) Read more
Seasonal Operations Associate - *Apple* Blo...
Seasonal Operations Associate - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Read more
Hair Stylist - *Apple* Blossom Mall - JCPen...
Hair Stylist - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Blossom Read more
Cashier - *Apple* Blossom Mall - JCPenney (...
Cashier - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Blossom Mall Read more
All contents are Copyright 1984-2011 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.