DS2x86 version 0.32 released!

news via http://dsx86.patrickaalto.com/DSblog.html


This version only has a few minor improvements. I have only had a couple of days to work on DS2x86 during the previous two week period. As it will probably take me another two weeks to get the graphics blitting improved, I decided to release a new version today, even though it has not had much work done compared to the previous version. This is what is new:

• Mouse emulation has been implemented, it should now work similarly to DSx86.
• Screen mode "Scale" in high-resolution modes scales also in Y-direction.

The lack of progress is mostly due to an extended electrical blackout that occurred on last Monday, and which (indirectly) caused two of my three computers to die. My laptop (which is almost 9 years old and still had the original battery) ran it's battery empty during the blackout, and it looks like this finally caused the battery to fail completely. The machine does not run without a battery, so I had to order a new battery for it. Somewhat surprisingly some online stores still sell (and have in stock) batteries suitable for a laptop that old!
The bigger problem was that the motherboard in my HTPC also died. It was less than two years old, so it should have lasted longer, but of course it only had a one-year warranty. So, I had to spend all my free time last week with first familiarizing myself with the current status of suitable hardware for a HTPC machine, then online shopping for parts, modifying my silent cooling system to fit a new socket type, and then finally building and configuring the new machine. That left no time for me to work on DS2x86, as I only got the new machine up and running yesterday evening.
I hope to finally get back on track with working on DS2x86 during the next week. I first want to improve the screen blitting speed and quality in the higher-resolution modes, and then I really need to re-implement the SoundBlaster digital audio support. Sorry that it will take so long for me to get around to these, but sometimes unexpected complications arise.