MidWatch: Automated Build Engine / News: Recent posts

Uhh... well things have kinf od got messed up on the main branch, and I am being pressed for minor bug fixes and features on the code we currently have running at BMC. So I finnally figured out how to branch in CVS.

These versions, are not likely to be released (though that could change.) so I will start the version numbering at 0.2.00 in case, I do get the wild idea to release this stuff. (Of course you're always at liberty to complie it yourself)

If you are interested in compiling working code, you should export using the "PRE-MySQL-Stable" tag. This should be the same as release 0.1.53 which I forgot to tag.

So what am I up to?
I am trying to do an extensive rewrite such that many MidWatch engines may connect to a single MySQL database. Version 0.1.53 and older are based on each engine using its own private Access 97 DB.

With a single DB running on a Linux box, running Apache and PHP, a web console for MidWatch should be pretty easy to code. ... read more

Tomorrow, I will upload a clean UseCases.mdb to the download area. This database is being used to track the use cases for the New MidWatch. You can use it for your design projects. (of course it's GPL!)

The VB development has pretty much halted since November, and there have been no new versions uploaded.
However, the New MidWatch is being designed, and the design documents are online and available for your comment.

Visit http://midwatch.org/design/design.html

Now that Lisa Krasinski has joined BMC as a full time developer working with me to develop MidWatch, we are starting to write CRC cards to re-think MidWatch.

Lisa and I have agreed to post our CRC cards and design summaries to the website. Look for significant changes to the wish list.

You can help!
Please do us a favor and provide input to the 1mc mail list ( http://lists.sourceforge.net/mailman/listinfo/midwatch-1mc )
We could use input to the wish list and use case scenarios. Please join the mail list, the next two months will be very important to the C++ version of MidWatch. ... read more

The new developer hired by BMC Software is expected to start on Nov 20th, 2000.

The purpose of this is to give me more time to work on MidWatch, I have also selected a candidate who should be able to fill in some of my knowledge gaps.

Therefore, over the next two months, there will be an effort to re-architect MidWatch before coding in C++. The current VB will be maintained with bug fixes and new features. ... read more

The offer has been signed by the candidate, and I look forward to working with her on the 22nd of November.

BMC Software is looking for a junior build engineer to unload me so I can get back to work improving http://midwatch.org .

That's right! Real money for working in open source!

MidWatch is an automated build engine that runs the Microsoft IDE and compiles large scale VC++ products.

The position wil report to me, and work in our Waltham, Massachusetts site. (I can't spell facility I guess :) This junior build engineer (JBE) will check the builds each morning, and distribute the famous "Build Bust" Rock to the developer who killed the build and sit on him till he fixes it. ... read more

I gnow it's a no-no. I was willing to risk it because I believe that the installed base of MidWatch is very small, and nothing but MidWatch is using the SCMCprj.dll .

For Details of what changed do a diff of Engine.cls 1.21 and 1.20, SCMC.cls 1.9 and 1.8

I skipped a couple of numbers here as I made some incremental compiles at BMC without taking the time to upload the new changes for your use.

These were just some minor cosmetic changes. I do not intend for any real major changes to the code until I I start to convert this to C++.

I still have to feel comfortable that I have cracked ATL before I can upload any C++ replacements for the VB code.

It's not that I don't know C++ guys, (how can you be a build engineer and not know how to track down compile errors ?) it's that I haven't got all of ATL working the way I can do things in VB. Particularly difficult for me is "raising events" in ATL. ... read more

Ok, I admit that this project didn't turn out to be the instant overnight success that I had dreamed it would be.

I think there are two major reasons for this:
1) It ain't in C++.
I will fix this problem (really), but not today.
2) Installation & configuration is a bear.

Well the good news is that I have got some new hardware in my office that I am to make into a new build machine. I will also use this opportunity to simulate your install and config experience, and make lots of notes.... read more

The fixes were minor, the big deal was centered on the kit distribution to Auto Test machines.

I would imagine that no-one has a running installation where they are using this feature yet.

But I use this code everyday! :)

Sorry, I've been doing some traveling, like a trip to visit Uncle Bill and stuff.

There wil be a minor improvement released once it is tested.

Well, I'm still on this project.
I have not been getting ANY feedback from ANYONE but yet I see downloads, I see page hits. There is some activity here, but it would really help if you'd let me know you are there.

I am beginning to assume that people are casually looking at the project and then rejecting it.

Please tell me what to fix.

This will fix:
[ Bug #105615 ] Signalbridge shows "build complete" on all playthrough build
which actually turned into a pretty big feature.

The difficulty was that when I build multiple configs (Release, Release Unicode, Release Static) of a project, the .plg file should be preserved for each of this configs, and the hyperlink from the signalbridge should go to those pages. additionally, each project could have multiple hyper links (one for each .plg file) ... read more

If you are not on the mail list, now is the time to join.

You can read about this in the archive:
http://www.geocrawler.com/lists/3/SourceForge/2857/0/

Fixes two bugs see the release notes.

Next I am focusing on Bug #105615 which might take a couple of days. Here's the link:
http://sourceforge.net/bugs/?func=detailbug&bug_id=105615&group_id=4082

I am still concerned that there are downloads and web hits, but no one is asking any questions!
It means one of two things to me:
1) You installation is going so smoothly you don't need my help (very doubtful)
2) You are too frustrated to work with MidWatch and you've already fed it to the recycle bin. ... read more

80% of today's hits were on the documentation pages. I know that there is need to work on those, well if you're reading them I'll be working on them!

Check the page update date I'm updating the tabledefs.html page almost every two hours as I add to it.

And please, please, please get on the 1mc mailing list! https://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=4082

I have not made the .zip for this release yet, but the hope is that this removes the depednancy of fm20.dll and also solves fo binary compatiblity problems.

Digging out an old document (still pretty current) I converted it from a Word .doc to .html.

There is still some information in the Word .doc that I have yet to convert, (doing this by hand: I don't like the results I get from Word's conversion) :-P

The documentation is still incomplete, but it is something, and there will be more to come.
Now if only I could get someone to read it :)

I know about it.
The code.html file is being truncated on line 171.
I have tried to scp several times but the shell does not seem to be taking the updated file.

I'll keep pounding at it until it does, meanwhile I guess I shouldn't make the navigation so dependant on JavaScript. I'll put some hard links in the HTML as a backup.

Terrific! I just got my CVS client working at least on the command line. The source code has now been imported to the repository

I am having trouble figuring out how to connect to CVS. However, the first release (0.1.12) is read for download from the ftp site. See http://midwatch.sourceforge.net/news.html for details.

Well, I have an informal e-mail version of it.
I am asking for a hardcopy as well.
Within a few hours from this post I should have the first release stored in the cvs repository.