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Version 2.1.1 Changes

The following list provides details on changes implemented in Fixation 2.1.1, released January 15, 2003:

• Fixed hang problem when starting a game on FICS using "pawns pawns-only". The problem did not happen in examine mode.
• The Seek Graph now has three selectable sizes: small, medium, large. The size can be selected in the preferences under "Seek Graph Options".
• Now detects login: loops and terminates the login attempt. This can happen when a server displays an error message not expected by Fixation.
• The minimum and maximum opponent ratings in the Seek Game dialog are now saved in the preferences if "Save Settings" is checked.
• Fixed problem where debug.log could not be opened in OS X. If the current application folder is not writeable, Fixation now tries the user's home directory and then /tmp.
• Fixed problem under OS X where Fixation could hang when a lot of server output was received at once (e.g. output from "llog").
• The new ICC 'webhelp' variable is now supported. Setting it to 1 now opens help in your default web browser if Internet Config is enabled.
• Aliasing the Game Logs folder to another folder no longer causes a directory not found error.
• The "noescape" variable in the preferences is now supported for FICS.
• Fixation no longer attempts to set the cshout variable on chess.net when logging on since this variable is not supported.
• Fixed problem under OS X where the divider lines in the Seek Graph would not be displayed.
• Kibitzes by accounts with two titles (e.g. C and TD) are now colored correctly.
• Fixed problem where Wild(20) games on the ICC would be reported as Blitz games.

Version 2.1 Changes

• Fixation has been Carbonized! No more classic mode in OS X. Users on Mac OS 9 and earlier can use the Carbon version but there is no advantage to doing so in this version. The Carbon version requires Mac OS 8.1 or later.
• Fixed color used in the Seek Graph for wild(20) games on ICC.
• Fixed scrolling problem in console window when an Info menu item is selected and the current font is not Monaco size 12.
• Fixed problems with piece palette when examining crazyhouse/bughouse games.
• Added Cmd-` (Command-backquote) as keyboard shortcut for the flag item in the Game menu.
• For ICC Wild(26), "Giveaway" is now shown in the game information rather than "Loser's".
• Fixed problem where logging onto FICS/USCL displayed the error "No such variable ginfo".
• The "arrow" and "circle" commmands on the ICC are now fully implemented. Note that the colors cannot be changed in this version.
• Added Board coordinates option to the preferences under Game Playing. Note that it currently does nothing as implementation is not complete.
• Fixed problem where Fixation could crash when the Seek Graph was enabled on the ICC. The problem ocurred when an ad was issued by an account that had multiple titles (e.g. TrainingBot now has C and DM).
• Fixed version check for FICS. An FICS server update changed the format of the "finger" output.
• Fixed problem with promotion window not showing King for suicide games on FICS.
• Added End of game option to the preferences under Sound Options.
• An error message is now displayed when trying to erase a square (using shift/click) in an examined game on FICS and you are not in bsetup mode. Previous versions sent the "x@" command to FICS which returned a server error.

Version 2.0.4 Changes

• Fixed problem with "MenusLib" not found on Mac OS 8.1 or earlier when starting Fixation.
• Added piece palette for examine mode. To remove a piece from a square, hold the shift key while clicking the square. Alternatively, you can edit the position by entering the server's erase command (e.g. x@d4).
• Fixed local move validation for rooks.
• Move validation disabled for Losers, Giveway and Shatranj on ICC.
• Fixed problem where selected text in the Engine window could not be copied.
• Fixed problem where if you disconnected from one server type (e.g. ICC), opened the Connect to Server window, selected a different server type (e.g. FICS), clicked Cancel and then reconnected, it would fail.

Version 2.0.3 Changes

• Numerous layout changes to the dialogs so they would display properly under Aqua (Mac OS X).
• Promotion window now includes a King for Wild(26) games on ICC and suicide games on FICS & USCL. However, due to FICS & USCL server limitations, King promotion is not supported for examined games.
• Fixed problem where pressing the option key while Fixation was in the background with a game window showing would not be passed to the foreground application.
• Added the Games menu and moved the game specific commands (e.g. draw, resign) from the Commands menu to the Game menu.
• Added Seek item to the Game menu. This item displays the Seek Game dialog window where you can enter options to issue a seek ad. The Seek item will not be enabled if you connect to chess.net or if Appearance Manager is not available.
• Fixed problem where seek ads with rating ranges on FICS & USCL would not be playable when clicked on the Seek Graph. Fixation no longer checks the rating ranges for FICS and USCL because these servers do not provide an interface friendly method to get the user's rating.
• Fixed problem where seek ad information for wild games would not be displayed properly for FICS and USCL.
• Changed the ad color to blue on the Seek Graph for Losers chess on the FICS and USCL. Losers chess was added after 2.0.2 was released.
• The "gameend" command is now automatically sent when logging onto a computer account with the engine enabled.
• Added support for the ICC's 7 day free trial period.
• The "Log Games Played" preference has been moved from the General Options section to the Game Playing Options section.
• Added "Separate Game Logs" preference to the Game Playing Options section. If checked, logged games (if enabled) will be written to separate log files. If not checked, logged games will be appended to a single server and handle specific log file.

Version 2.0.2 Changes

• Fixed problem where clicking the examine mode buttons would not do anything if the board was made smaller than a certain size. This was usually when the "Revert" button was no longer fully visible.
• Added "Highlight last move" feature. It is enabled under Game Playing Options in the Preferences. The color used is settable in Color Options II.
• During server connection, Fixation animates a counting hand or beachball cursor. If Fixation is put into the background, the cursor flickers between the hand/beachball and arrow cursor. This problem has been fixed.
• Corrected credits given to piece sets 1 and 10. Piece set 1 was designed by John Soran.
• Moved strings for preferences color options from code to STR# 129.
• If the preferences file (i.e. "Fixation PPC Prefs") was aliased, the preferences would not be correctly read or saved. This has been fixed. However, an error is displayed if the preferences is aliased to a folder.
• Fixed problem where saving a game on an FICS server could cause the last move to be repeated in the PGN file.
• Fixed problem where two PGN tags would be placed onto the same line in the PGN file when saving games from the ICC.
• If the shortcuts file (i.e. "Fixation Shortcuts") was aliased, the shortcuts would not be correctly read or saved. This has been fixed. However, an error is displayed if the shortcuts is aliased to a folder.

Version 2.0.1 Changes

• Fixed problem where the rectangle on the right of the examine mode buttons would not be changed to black.
• Fixed problem where if the current shortcut was for ICC and you added a new shortcut for a non-ICC server and then connected, a "failed in step 1" error would be displayed.
• Fixed problem where if you disabled Sound in the Options menu and restarted Fixation, the Sound item would still be checked even though no sound was being produced.
• Fixed problem where displaying Info menu items did not restore the font set in the preferences.
• Fixed problem where Announcements on FICS/USCL would not be colored.
• Fixed problems with engine color and ratings information when games are started with an enabled chess engine.
• Fixed problem where the "Put black on bottom when playing" preference would not work if you logged on with a name that did not exactly match the case of the name on the server.

Version 2.0 Changes

• Fixation now passes adjourn and abort requests to the engine.
• If the "On Program startup" preference is set to "Neither", Fixation now displays the account and server of the last logon in the console. Useful in combination with the Reconnect command.
• Replaced the MacChess piece set due to withdrawal of permission to use it in Fixation.
• Fixed problem where Fixation would abnormally terminate with a type 2 error (access fault) when the tab key was pressed in the Shortcut text edit field or shift+tab was pressed in the Name text edit field in the Connect to Server dialog window.
• Fixed some problems with pasting text into dialog window edit fields.
• Player ratings for observed and examined games as well as rating type (e.g. blitz, standard) are now shown in game windows for FICS/USCL. A server change (i.e. gameinfo ivar) provided the necessary functionality for implementation.
• Now detects logon to FICS/USCL Blind accounts and sets the "style" variable to 9 instead of 12. Style 9 only shows the moves, no board will appear when a game is played/observed/examined.
• Implemented the "Version Check" item in the Info menu.
• Fixed problem with beachball cursor not going away after logging onto chess.net.
• Fixed problem where double clicking an empty cell in the list box of the Connect to Server dialog would display an internal error.
• Removing a shortcut in the Connect to Server dialog now displays a verification alert.
• Position of Connect to Server dialog now saved in the preferences.
• Changed keyboard equivalent of "Preferences" menu item from Cmd-P to Cmd-; since Cmd-P is reserved for the "Print" menu item according to HIG.
• Replaced the Hastings chess set (#10) with John Soran's color set.
• When running Fixation for the first time or you delete the Fixation Shortcuts file in the Preferences Folder, generic shortcuts will be provided for the ICC, FICS and USCL.
• The "Fixation Shortcuts" file in the Preferences folder will only be updated if the shortcuts were actually changed.
• Seek ads for Giveway (wild 26) and Atomic (wild 27) are now shown with that name in the Seek Graph rather than "Loser's".
• An error message is displayed if you respond to your own seek ad in the Seek Graph.
• When a chess engine is enabled, opponent takeback requests are now sent to the engine for a response.
• Adjourn, abort and takeback requests from an opponent are now hilited in the challenge color and if sound is enabled in the preferences, the system beep is sounded.
• Connect to Server dialog changes:
  • Added popup menu of common servers.
  • List entries can now be updated.
  • Disabled the Open and Remove buttons until item selected from list.
  • Fixed most problems with selected field hilighting when Appearance Manager is active.
  • Changed "FICS" radio button to "FICS/USCL".
• Moved "Version History", "Bugs & Suggestions" and "Hidden Features" to TEXT/styl resources.
• Moved chess servers info from STR# to TEXT/styl resource.
• If Appearance Manager is available, the counting up and down hand cursor is used instead of the spinning beachball cursor.

Version 2.0f2 Changes

• Added support for two of the four required Apple Events -- Open Application and Quit Application.
• Fixed ICC problem where if you disconnect while playing a game and are re-attached, the level 2 datagrams would not be re-enabled. This would result in the log games played not working for example.
• Added the "Engine" item to the Options menu. Fixation now supports automated computer accounts on the ICC and FICS using the "Amateur" chess engine by Will Singleton. To use a chess engine, first launch Amateur and then select the Engine menu item. A chess engine window will appear that will show input and output messages for the engine. The colors in this window are not customizable in 2.0f2. Amateur is the only supported chess engine in 2.0f2.
• Moved "Preferences..." item from the File menu to the Edit menu. Many current applications also seem to put it into the Edit menu.
• Pressing the "Enter" key is now equivalent to the "return" key.
• Automatic version check now done once every six weeks instead of four.
• The sound for illegal moves can now be enabled/disabled in the preferences under "Sound Options".
• Added option "Bughouse teams" to the preferences under "General Options". When enabled, you will be informed when bughouse partnerships are formed or dissolved. This option is only supported by ICC servers.
• The seek graph now displays the number of not shown (ns) ads affected by the seek graph filters.
• The seek graph now displays a P after a player's rating if their rating is provisional.
• The seek graph now shows all current seek ads when used on the FICS. A server enhancement (news 143) now provides Fixation with the necessary information about current seek ads when the seek graph is enabled.
• Fixed the board display problems with the Fowell and Linotype Game Pi chess sets (with assistance from William Johnston). Added the Chess Alpha, Linares and Hastings sets. The Board & Pieces dialog now supports 10 sets and shows the set name beside the piece images.
• Fixed seek graph problems where longest blitz games (etime = 14) would be shown in the standard area and the shortest standard games (etime = 15) would be shown too far to the right of the standard dividing line. Thanks to Kevin Welch for pointing out these discrepancies.
• Fixed intermittent problems with processing the ICC timestamp data. Earlier versions sometimes may print partial style 12 lines or the server connection is abruptly disconnected.
• You will now hear a sound when you receive a ptell while playing a game. Earlier versions did not play the sound if you were playing a game.
• When logging in as a guest onto FICS servers, you will now see the 'Press return to enter the FICS as "GuestABCD":' text before you have to press return. Previously, this text only appeared after pressing return.
• When using a chess engine on FICS, a (C) will be appended to the player name when playing a game.
• If you try to close a game window where you are playing a game, a verification alert is now displayed.
• Aborted games are no longer logged. In a future version, a preferences option may be added to control this behaviour.
• Setting the server prompt preference to "server prompt" or "custom prompt" is now supported for the ICC. Note that because the ICC prompt variable only supports a value of 0 or 1, setting this preference to "custom prompt" is the same as "server prompt".
• Fixation now sets the current working folder to the Fixation application folder before writing files into the "Game Logs" folder. Thanks to John Scalo for reporting the problem and assisting with the fix.

Version 2.0fc1 Changes

• Fixed two problems in seek graph where an internal error occurred under certain conditions.
• Clicking the "Save as..." button in the Save PGN dialog now uses Navigation Services (in Mac OS 8.5 or later) if available. If not available, the Standard File package will still be used. This change allows Fixation to be Carbon compliant in this regard.
• Selecting the Seek Graph menu item from the Windows menu when the Seek Graph is already enabled, now makes it the active window rather than disabling the seek graph.
• When Log Games Played preference is enabled, your games now get appended to a file called <handle> (<server>).pgn rather than individual files for each game.
• Two new sounds have been added for move captures and the start of your games. You can enable/disable them under the Sound Options in the preferences.
• Added sound for illegal move -- cannot be disabled.
• While examining a game, you can now use the left arrow key to move backward one move and the right arrow key to move forward one move.
• Pressing Cmd-. in any dialog window now cancels the dialog.
• Fixed problem (I hope!) where displaying the Board and Pieces dialog window could cause an application or system crash/hang.
• When any dialog window is displayed, generally only the Apple and Help menus will be enabled.

Version 2.0b3 Changes

• Fixed problem of unexpected disconnects while playing games on the FICS with timeseal enabled.
• Now properly detects FICS guest logon to set the logon name.
• Pressing <esc> in the board & pieces dialog now cancels the dialog.
• Cancelling the Server Connections dialog after making changes to the shortcuts now displays a caution alert which allows shortcut changes to be discarded.
• Examining one of your ICC games (e.g. correspondence, library) when you are black now flips the board if you have flip board when black set.
• Examining an ICC correspondence game now displays the correspondence game # in the game header line.
• Added "Save Game" item to the File menu. After each game (played or observed), use his item to save it as a local PGN file. However, if you start to observe a game while in progress, you will not get the complete move list.
• For ICC correspondence games, the flash when time low preference is no longer applied.
• Fixed seek graph problem on the FICS where a seek ad from an unregistered player or a registered player with no rating for the game type would either crash Fixation or the seek ad information would be garbled.
• Fixed seek graph problem on the FICS where a seek ad from a player whose rating is under 1000 would not be shown in the seek graph.
• Implemented the "Log Games Played" option. Games will be automatically saved in the 'Game Logs' folder in PGN format.
• When a draw is offered, a sound is now played. :=)
• The Board and Pieces dialog window is now Appearance Manager aware.
• Added "Save PGN" item to File menu. This allows you to save the history or library games of yourself or other players to a local PGN file. You can also save your correspondence games. A dialog window appears where you enter the necessary info. This feature is currently only available for the ICC as the FICS does not support the required server command needed by Fixation.
• Completed Balloon Help for the menus and added help for Preferences, Connect to Server, Save PGN, Board and Pieces and the application icon in the Finder.
• Selecting "Close" from the File menu when the Seek Graph is the frontmost window now closes the seek graph.
• When the console window is created at start-up and it would be placed off-screen (this can happen if screen resolution has changed), the console window is now centered on the screen.
• The position of the seek graph is now saved in the preferences. Also, if you logoff while the seek graph is enabled, the seek graph will be automatically enabled on the next login, except if you logon to chess.net.
• Added "Set only on guest login" option to Server Variables preferences. If checked, server variables (except the prompt) will only be set for a guest login.
• Automatic version check now done once every 28 days instead of 14.
• Fixed problem with sound not being played for challenges under Mac OS 8.6. The compression format used for the 'Wood Flute' was invalid although it worked fine under 8.1 and earlier.
• Disabled the seek graph menu item when logged onto chess.net as this server uses a different seek ad format than FICS.

Version 2.0b2 Changes

• Version check now done once every 14 days instead of 7.
• Added "Chess Servers" and "TCP/IP Status" items to Info menu.
• Fixed problem where if you observe an examined game and you close the window, an unobserve would not be sent to the server.
• Fixed problem where if you are disconnected while playing a game on the ICC and re-attach, the interface variable would not be set.
• Disabled "Connect to Server" menu item while a connection is in progress.
• Added rudimentary support for ICC's arrow & circle commands.
• Replaced three chess sets with Fowell (courtesy of Richard Fowell), Cheq Mini (designed by William Johnston based on Cheq font from Adobe) and Linotype Game Pi (designed by W. Johnston based on font from Adobe). Added a 9th new set in the Board and Pieces dialog.
• Now properly detects ICC guest logon to correct problems with board flipping and the seek graph.
• Wild(5) games are now unplayable in the seek graph since Fixation does not currently support Wild(5).
• Up to four servers from DNS are cached to speed up connection time. If the server addresses change, you can clear the cache using the "Clear DNS Cache" item in the File menu.
• Added "Reconnect" item to the File menu with Cmd-R equivalent. This reconnects to the last connection. The Cmd-R equivalent for the "finger" item in the Commands menu was changed to Cmd-I.
• Implemented the Log Games Played option for the ICC. Games will be saved in PGN format into the "Game Logs" folder. The game date, time and player names will be used to construct the filename with .pgn as the file extension. This option is not currently implemented for the FICS because the FICS does have any command to generate PGN on screen. Could be implemented in 2.0b3.
• All game windows are now closed when you disconnect. Previously, disconnecting while observing a game left the game window open and active.
• Changed ICC logon logic so that there's no need to wait for the password prompt. The password is sent at the login prompt.
• Added arrow key navigation and type selection for list in Server Connection dialog.
• Added appearance manager focus ring to listbox in the Server Connection dialog when clicked. However, this focus code is not quite working correctly yet so expect a bit of strange behaviour.
• Fixed problem where game windows could be placed offscreen. The positions of the first two game windows are saved in the preferences. If these game windows are re-created but the positions in the preferences would cause the windows to go off-screen, the window is now centered in the middle of the main screen. This can happen if you use different sized displays or change the screen resolution.
• The player ratings and rating type (e.g. blitz) are now displayed in the game window when you play a game on the FICS. When you play a computer, a (C) will be displayed beside its name.
• Draw offers from your opponent are now hilighted and a beep is played. A later version may replace the beep with a sound file. Submissions anyone?
• Increased preferred memory size to 1.5MB.
• MacTCP networking support has been removed.

Version 2.0b1 Changes

• Fixed problem where beach ball cursor would not go away if you are disconnected during a game on the ICC and logon again and get reattached by the server. A recent server change produced this problem.
• If conversion of V1.x preferences file fails, a default 2.0 preferences file is now created instead of Fixation just exiting.
• Fixed a latency problem when sending moves or commands to the server. Try a ping on the ICC with 2.0a and one with 2.0b1 and you should see the effect of this change!
• Killing the server connection ("Kill Connection" in the File menu) is no longer allowed if you are playing a game.
• Added one minute timeout to version check on logon. If timeout occurs, a message is displayed and the version check is aborted. A version check is done every 7 days.
• Beach ball cursor more animated during the logon.

Version 2.0a7 Changes

• Game windows now contain titles and ratings of the players when connected to the ICC. As well, the rating type (e.g. Blitz, Standard) and rated/unrated indicator is also displayed. This feature is not implemented for the FICS.
• Fixed problem where info about unplayable ads would still be displayed when the mouse passed over the position where they would be displayed if visible.
• Fixed problem where ICC Crazyhouse seek ads would be shown as Bughouse ads in the seek graph window. Remember that Crazyhouse affects your Bughouse rating on ICC.
• When the mouse moves off an ad to empty space in the seek graph window, the seek ad info at the bottom of the window is now erased. Also, if a seek ad is removed and it's the current ad info being displayed, the info is now erased.
• Inactive game windows are now re-used when playing or observing games.
• Fixed problem where unobserve <game> would still seem to leave the game active.
• Fixed broken profanity check code for admins.
• Fixed minor problems with observing examined games.

Version 2.0a6 Changes

• Removed duplicate mapping of Cmd-G. Cmd-G is mapped to the Seek Graph window. The mapping was removed from the "flag" item in the Commands menu.
• Fixed ICC problem where game would not be set up properly in examine mode after a game ended and the examine variable is 1.
• Fixed ICC problem where if observing an examined game and you are mexamined, the game would not be setup properly for examining.
• Fixed FICS problem with setting black/white player names with bname/wname commands.
• Fixed FICS problem where channel tells by players with multiple titles would not be displayed in color. NOTE: Only a max of 3 titles is supported.
• Fixed FICS problem where multiple line qtells (e.g. LectureBot) would not be displayed in color.
• If multiple game windows are open and moves are being displayed in the text window, the game number is now displayed after the move.
• Sound for moves when playing, observing and examining now fully implemented (i.e. disabling these sounds now works).
• Implemented "Select All" in the Edit menu. The Cmd-A shortcut for "Auto Flag" has been removed due to conflict.
• Added "who (titled players)" and "titled player games" to Commands menu. These commands only work on the ICC.

Version 2.0a5 Changes

• Fixed problem with game window updates (oops!).
• Added "Observing, Examining or Playing" to game window title.
• Added Seek Graph Filters preferences. NOTE: Unplayable, computer and guest seek ads will not appear until you enable them in the preferences.

Version 2.0a4 Changes

• Added Seek Graph Window. Bullet/Lightning, Blitz and standard games are green. Losers and Suicide games are blue. Wild games are red. Games that are not playable (you do not meet the rating range) are cyan. Human seeks are circles while Computer seeks are rectangles. Rated games are filled in, unrated games are hollow. Click on a seek circle/rectangle to play the game. Holding shift with mouse click just does an "assess". Holding option with mouse click does a "finger". There's still some work to do but basic functionality seems to work.

Version 2.0a3 Changes

• Server connection dialog re-coded with minor cosmetic user interface changes.
• Server connection and preferences dialogs are now Appearance Manager aware.
• Disabled Preferences item in the File menu while the Preferences dialog is active. Previous versions will crash if the user attempts this action.
• Hidden Features, Version History, Bugs & Suggestions moved to new Info menu.

Version 2.0a2 Changes

• Fixed problem with setting the color attributes for shouts/sshouts.
• Fixed problem with detecting invalid passwords when logging onto the FICS.
• Fixed problem where the beachball cursor would not stop and entering commands would seem to do nothing after logging onto the FICS.

Version 2.0a1 Changes

• Native Power PC version using Open Transport 1.x.
• Built-in timestamp (ICC) and timeseal (FICS) support.
• Preferences interface re-designed to use one dialog window with multiple panes. The board pieces still remain a separate dialog though.
• Server variables supported: open, ginfo, tell, shout, sshout (ICC), cshout (FICS), examine (ICC), noescape (ICC).
• Greatly enhanced color support in the text window. Colors are user configurable for the following: foreground text, background, user commands, kibitzes, whispers, shout/sshout/cshout, channel tells, private tells, opponent tells, game challenges, player notifications, game notifications and new messages. Bold and italic styles can also be applied. NOTE: It is highly recommended that you do not change the foreground and background colors at the present time.
• Additional sounds for player notifications and new messages.
• Additional preferences: Log Games Played (not implemented though), Server Prompt.
• Game moves will now also be displayed in the text window. This is user configurable in the preferences.
• Server name resolution and connection can be interrupted by user with Esc or Cmd-.
• Beachball cursor added during server connection.
• Balloon help for the File menu. Minimal help in the preferences dialog.
• New preferences file. Due to major changes to the preferences, a new preferences file format is used by Version 2.0. The first time you run 2.0, a dialog window will appear telling you that it will convert your 1.x preferences file. Your 1.x preferences file will not be modified by Version 2.0.
• Safe saves are used when updating the preferences files. Safe saves write updates to a temporary file and if successful, then the temporary file is swapped with the preferences file and the old preferences file deleted. Fixaton 1.x does not use safe saves and could corrupt or lose your preferences if a file I/O or disk full error occurred.
• After logging onto a chess server, the logon name and chess server are now displayed in the title bar of the text window.