As we have come to realise that users are using our preliminary and brittle 64-bit support in production code, we have now increased our pace on the road to version 6.40; the first true 64-bit edition of OWLNext.

As mentioned in a recent news item about our roadmap, the upcoming intermediate release 6.34 will add further preliminary support for 64-bit. In particular, it will have important patches to the old dispatch machinery that will improve type-safety and 64-bit compatibility. 6.34 will however be the last version based on this messy machinery. OWLNext 6.40 will be based on a thorough overhaul of the dispatchers, making the code C++ conformant, safer, and simpler to comprehend and maintain.... read more

We have now decided to end active support for version 6.30. The main reason we still supported this version was that early releases of 6.32 had problems with the OWL5_COMPAT build mode. This is not an issue any more, and we therefore no longer recommend 6.30 as a stepping stone. Our advice is now that all users should upgrade to the latest 6.32 release.

Good news! OWLNext now compiles with the new 64-bit C++Builder compiler (BCC64). We will release preliminary support for this compiler in the upcoming 6.34 release. Full support for 64-bit targets is planned for 6.40. The 6.34 release will also fix the exception transport issue [bugs:#230].

Also, OWLNext 7 is now in the early stages of planning. We envisage version 7 to be a comprehensive overhaul and modernisation of the library. While the 6-series focuses on compatibility with legacy code, version 7 will require a certain amount of adaptation of OWL 5 and OWLNext 6 code, and will require compilers with C++11 support.... read more

It is a new year, and hopefully it has started well for everyone. As we enter 2013, it is a good time to have a look at the popularity of OWLNext in the past year. Our best measure of OWLNext usage is the patch download statistics.

As you can see, OWLNext interest is pretty stable with 60-180 patch downloads per month, peaking after each new release. Most interest is now for 6.32, but there is still a notable number of downloads for 6.30, indicating that some users are reluctant to upgrade. This may be down to breaking changes in 6.32, due to modernisation and improvements in the code. With time, hopefully we will get everyone aboard 6.32, but in the meantime we will continue to support 6.30.... read more

A maintenance update for the stable release 6.32 is now available:
OWLNext 6.32.5 patch download

Also, full source can be downloaded from Embarcadero's site:
http://cc.embarcadero.com/item/28524

To install OWLNext 6.32 from scratch, see our wiki article Installing OWLNext. It gives full instructions on how to set up a complete and up-to-date version of the library.... read more

A maintenance update for the previous stable release 6.30 is available.

Major features and improvements compared to the previous version (6.30.11):

• Added support for Embarcadero C++Builder XE3 and Microsoft Visual Studio 2012.
• Some OWLNext examples are now included in the patch and full source download.

Fixes merged from the 6.32 branch:

• Fixed, VCL build mode fails with C++Builder XE2 (issue #3525088).
• Fixed, TSplashWindow deletes the provided DIB (issue #3540034).... read more

A maintenance update for the stable release 6.32 is available.

Major features and improvements compared to the previous version (6.32.3):

• Added support for Embarcadero C++ Builder XE3 and Microsoft Visual Studio 2012.
• OWLNext examples are now included in the patch and full source download.
• Fixed, VCL build mode fails with C++Builder XE2 (issue #3525088).
• Fixed, TSplashWindow deletes the provided DIB (issue #3540034).
• Fixed, Applications are dysfunctional in OWL5_COMPAT mode (issue #3541144).
• Fixed, Incorrect formatting logic in TButtonTextGadget::PaintText (issue #3535315).... read more

A new Developer Preview, version 6.33.2, is available. It contains all the fixes included in the 6.32.3 release plus some additions. The patch can be downloaded in our Files section.

Hi owls!

Have you downloaded the OWLNext 6.32.3 production release?

OWLNext 6.32 is a huge leap forward on our roadmap, and an important stepping stone going forward. Since starting work on version 6.32, with the release of the first developer preview (6.31.1, revision 300, 2009-11-25), over ONE THOUSAND revisions has gone into the work on this significant milestone. If you have been reluctant to upgrade, we urge you to do so now.... read more

The new release version, 6.32, is ready.

Major features and improvements compared to the previous version (6.30):

• Doxygen documentation - New in-source comments which are used to generate OWLNext Reference Documentation.
• Additional support libraries - Inclusion of the OWLExt, OWLFx and CoolPrj libraries.
• Dialog Data Transfer (DDT) - A new framework similar to DDX (Dialog Data eXchange) in Microsoft's MFC library. Replaces the deprecated transfer buffer framework.
• Safe Transfer Buffers - Buffer checks and type-safety support for legacy code.
• C++-style string support - Overloads and replacements for functions and constructors with string parameters.
• Updated compiler support - New support for Visual C++ 2010, C++Builder 2010/XE/XE2 and GCC; removal of support for Visual C++ 6.0 and Borland C++ 5.01/5.02.
• Preliminary x64 support - New support for building OWLNext and applications for Windows x64. Note that known 64-bit issues remain, such as pointer truncation in handlers and other functions dealing with generic parameters, but simple applications may build and run in x64 mode (e.g. OWLMaker). ... read more