PE6 Beta testers - please update!

[Technical]

Thanks for all the positive feedback on PE6 beta.

We have noted that, both by email and via our automated notification system, that some people are reporting issues that have actually already been fixed, in some cases fixed several weeks back.

So if you haven't updated recently please do uninstall the old version (via Control Panel) and then reinstall the latest version (which is 6.0.5.9 6.0.6.0) from www.picaxe.com/PE6
The list of fixed issues is also available on this page.

Many thanks.

 

[Technical]

PE6 beta v6.0.6.0 is now available.

This version has a number of commonly requested features added, such as a simple (non-Workspace) mode like Programming Editor v5.
www.picaxe.com/docs/PE6_Workspaces.pdf

Please uninstall the old version (via Control Panel) and then reinstall the latest version from www.picaxe.com/PE6

 

[lbenson]

For those who had been using workspaces, it's not clear how to continue to. Under options, you must click "Use Project Workspaces (Advanced Mode)".

 

[sghioto]

Thanks Technical.

00387 >> Reduced default size of terminal window during simulation
00386 >> Fixed issue whilst simulating input commands such as serin - was resetting whole port to inputs

Steve G

 

[oracacle]

For those who had been using workspaces, it's not clear how to continue to. Under options, you must click "Use Project Workspaces (Advanced Mode)".

thankyou, i would have spare trying to find that setting myself

 

[hippy]

The datasheet linked to by Technical in post #2 does indicate where the setting is in its opening paragraph ...

PE6 now has two modes of operation – ‘Simple’ and ‘Advanced Project Workspaces’.
This mode is selected via the File>Options>Editor tab.

www.picaxe.com/docs/PE6_Workspaces.pdf

I will make a note that the setting to change wasn't immediately obvious.

 

[Buzby]

I de-installed the previous version, then installed 6.0.6.0, as per instructions, went smooth as silk.

When I then opened PE6 it came up in 'no workspace mode'.

Does PE6 try to maintain the settings from the previous installation ?.

( I'm not too bothered about workspaces yet, but I can see the benefits, and will use them when they will help. )

 

[oracacle]

I de-installed the previous version, then installed 6.0.6.0, as per instructions, went smooth as silk.

When I then opened PE6 it came up in 'no workspace mode'.

Does PE6 try to maintain the settings from the previous installation ?.

( I'm not too bothered about workspaces yet, but I can see the benefits, and will use them when they will help. )

i would say it does not, i would presume if you could find the file wher your prefrences are kept and keep a copy of it before un-insalling and replace the new prefrnce file with the old you would be able to keep your prefrences. however once the software is out of beta i suspect that just upgrading will keep them as is - no uninstaling before installing to remove any files

 

[AllyCat]

Hi,

I de-installed the previous version, then installed 6.0.6.0, as per instructions, went smooth as silk.

Hmm, I wish I could say the same.

Is it really necessary to un-install the previous version? Firstly it "lost" my Consolas font upgrade, and the Desktop shortcut went back to a "generic" icon. The lost font meant that my modified colour sceme was invalid (and the default Arial is not very useful).

But I despair if I will ever be able to use PE6 on my Netbook (which in reality must use XP with its available memory). PE6 can take literally minutes to start up (compared with 5 - 10 seconds for PE5). After much fiddling I managed to pin the additional windows around the sides of the Editing pane, but when I open the Terminal, its window takes the full height of the screen and 75% of the full screen width, making any useful editing impossible.

Cheers, Alan.

 

[srnet]

But I despair if I will ever be able to use PE6 on my Netbook (which in reality must use XP with its available memory). PE6 can take literally minutes to start up (compared with 5 - 10 seconds for PE5)

As far as I know, that 'feature' of PE6 will remain.

I have a 2nd Desktop in the House, its an older machine, and most things run OK, even Excel and Word start up in 5 - 10 seconds.

With PE6, when you start it you have time to go and make a coffee whilst it starts up.

 

[oracacle]

what are you guys running, system spec wise, i am running some older systems, inclusive of a stock 1.8ghz core 2 duo with 4 gig of ram, a very old laptop that houses a 1.2ghz celeron M and 2gb of RAM srart up time on the laptop is 1 minuite 13 seconds, while running vitamin d

main rig that needs a clean install is 8 seconds (running phenom quad at 4ghz and 8gb ram and 2 raptor drive raid 0, PE installed on secondary array that consists of 2 500gb (100gb total) WD caviars). by comparison word takes less that second to open on this machine.

also remember that its beta, there will be some optimisation that most likely needs to take place - you know how it goes, you got a working programme no you see if you can make it faster, smoother and operate better, it a sequence of things that needs to happen

 

[Buzby]

With PE6, when you start it you have time to go and make a coffee whilst it starts up.

Mine took 33 seconds, on a 7 year old Sony Vaio with Win XP Pro SP3, 2Gb RAM, 1.8GHz dual core Intel CPU.

Excel 2007 took 7 secs, Word 2007 took 5 secs, PE5 takes 5 secs to start, but then pressing OK to accept options can take upto 2 minutes !.

 

[the old fart]

I run PE6 on my PC and an old laptop.
Takes about 7 seconds to loadup.

SSD helps.

 

[inglewoodpete]

My 3GHz single core Pentium 4 (I know, I know) takes 35 seconds to load PE6.

Is it possible to load .Net at startup? I suspect that those with very fast start times have the .Net framework loaded already (at startup or via another app).

My next mother board will have Sata 3 and an SSD. Not long now, judging by the wheezing my old one is doing .

 

[Bill.b]

Be thankfull yours loads pe6. My old laptop i use for programming runs windows 2000 therefore will not run PE6 at all.

Bill

 

[inglewoodpete]

Unable to load .wsp (Workspace) files under v6.0.6.0 ?

I've just updated PE6 to 6.0.6.0 today from yesterday's 6.0.5.9 and can't open .wsp files. PE6 does not seem to recognise them.

Pic 1: W7/32 file manager
Pic 2: PE6 "File" menu: "Workspaces" option is greyed out.

Is it just me? Or the computer? Or...

 

[Technical]

I've just updated PE6 to 6.0.6.0 today from yesterday's 6.0.5.9 and can't open .wsp files.

PE6 beta v6.0.6.0 is now available.

This version has a number of commonly requested features added, such as a simple (non-Workspace) mode like Programming Editor v5.
www.picaxe.com/docs/PE6_Workspaces.pdf

PE6 now defaults to the simpler mode, as workspaces confused some people. It will save your setting upon exit.
However as there was no matching 'setting' prior to v6.0.6.0 you need to turn it on when first running 6.0.6.0
(File>Options>Editor>Use Project Workspaces)

Is it possible to load .Net at startup? I suspect that those with very fast start times have the .Net framework loaded already (at startup or via another app).

.NET uses a process called JustInTime (JIT) compilation. This is the application, not just the framework. Very old machines with a small amount of RAM will always struggle with this process, as the limited RAM makes the compilation slow. It's just the way many modern applications work. If running a 12 year old operating system (XP) on a limited RAM and/or slow processor machine PE5 will always be much faster to load than PE6, because it doesn't use JIT and was also developed on a 16 year old development platform as well!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just-in-time_compilation

 

[inglewoodpete]

@Technical, Thanks for taking the time to reply - on a Sunday too. Reading back over the earlier posts I can see the answer was already there! I think there's a lesson somewhere there.

The simple and workspace-based development environment options are a good idea. I too have projects that fit into both categories.

.Net and JIT: I'm running W7/32 on a 10-year old Intel P4. I guess the W7 makes the difference with my middle-of-the-road load times for PE6. I had another BSOD today: more fuel to upgrade the hardware.