GNE (Game Networking Engine)

File Release Notes and Changelog

Release Name: GNE 0.40

Notes:
The .tar.gz is in the UNIX text format, and the .zip for
Windows.  Other than that they are both identical.  Beats
me why the .zip is so much larger than the .tar, I guess
it's because .zip does each file separately and there's a
large overhead per file whereas the tar piles it all
together in one contingous block.

Highlights of some of the changes since 0.003.
  * Maturing of the threading and timers code.
  * Greatly expanded and tested Console I/O API
  * Nearly complete redesign to the Connection API, and new types of Connections have been added and implemented
  * Better packaging support and directory/include structure.
  * Linux support now working and actively maintained.
  * Several more example programs, bug fixes, and more classes implemented across the board.


Changes:
GNE 0.003 to 0.4
  A new example exsynchello which is fully compatable with exhello and does
    the same thing, but with SyncConnection only.
  New include structure and method of inclusion, although more typing and
    perhaps less flexible, now works properly on all platforms without name
    changing and small cludges and hacks.
  Some of the examples make use of these new I/O classes even though using
    mprintf was perfectly fine to get some testing for these classes.
  Implemented new streambufs to be used with ostream and istream, so now two
    classes gout and gin exist that work even when curses is active, since they
    make use of the Console class I/O functions.  Both styles of I/O may be
    mixed.  The examples have been updated due to this change.
  Fixed a deadlock bug that occurs when GNE is shut down.
  Lots of improvements, additions, and optimizations for the Console class and
    API.
  Making GNE work with Linux out of the box.
  Added SyncConnection class for syncronous communications over a Connection.
  Added ConnectionListener class.  Events go there now.
  ServerConnectionCreator class is gone now.  ServerConnectionListener now
    has the needed function, and other event handling changes in that class
    as well.
  Completely changed the Connection API
  Added onDisconnect event.
  Improvements with Error generation and handling.
  Added test/example exaddr for the Address class.
  Added GNE::Address class which changes things everywhere, but is many many
    times nicer due to implicit conversions and encapsulation.
  Cleaned up exhello example, more complete code.
  Improved functions dealing with NLaddress, added GNE::addressToString.
  Fixed C callback in Thread so that Thread::run is now protected rather than
    public as it should be, and Thread::end is now private rather than
    public, as it very definately should be.
  Made ClientConnection::open a little more friendly.
  Modifications to the event system, onDisconnect event, and error events
    split into two categories.  Error objects now passed by const reference.
  A few bug fixes.
  Added the SocketPair class to separate shared properties between Connection
    and SyncConnection.
  Removed the OnReceiveEventClass.  onReceive events are now forced to be
    "non-blocking" as there is now only a single event thread.  Multiple
    event threads were found to be overly confusing and complex to the
    developers and users, with very little to no potential benefits.  If you
    need to "block" in an event (other than onNewConn), spawn a new thread.
  Created a new class, Error, that replaces the Connection::FailureType enum,
    and allows the user some shortcuts and a better way to get a textual
    description of the error.