DreamShell v4.0.0 Release

[VeraBecker]

(13.05.2024 06:09)SWAT писал(а):  Yeah thanks, your PR merged!

Yes, I saw that MegaVolt reviewed it quickly, thanks.

Swat, are there better libraries than SDL to handle display on Dreamcast? It is very slow when loading images, I read that it is because it does it through software instead of hardware.

[SWAT]

(16.05.2024 06:49)VeraBecker писал(а):  

(13.05.2024 06:09)SWAT писал(а):  Yeah thanks, your PR merged!

Yes, I saw that MegaVolt reviewed it quickly, thanks.

Swat, are there better libraries than SDL to handle display on Dreamcast? It is very slow when loading images, I read that it is because it does it through software instead of hardware.

The rendering type does not affect image loading speed. Quite the contrary, for hardware rendering of images you also need to load them into video memory, which will only slow down the loading. So loading speed is not equal to rendering speed. These are different things.
SDL was chosen a long time ago and because of its simplicity and convenience. Yes, I would like the rendering to be faster in some places, but this only appears when scrolling the list of files and the console text, nothing more. Otherwise it works quite well. For special cases such as video frames display, there is a mechanism for hardware rendering on top of a software screen. This one is used for camera previews.
Thus, the DS has a hybrid rendering mechanism.

[VeraBecker]

(16.05.2024 19:09)SWAT писал(а):  The rendering type does not affect image loading speed. Quite the contrary, for hardware rendering of images you also need to load them into video memory, which will only slow down the loading. So loading speed is not equal to rendering speed. These are different things.
SDL was chosen a long time ago and because of its simplicity and convenience. Yes, I would like the rendering to be faster in some places, but this only appears when scrolling the list of files and the console text, nothing more. Otherwise it works quite well. For special cases such as video frames display, there is a mechanism for hardware rendering on top of a software screen. This one is used for camera previews.
Thus, the DS has a hybrid rendering mechanism.

I see, do you think it's possible to upgrade SDL to a newer version? Or is it too difficult?

[SWAT]

(17.05.2024 07:01)VeraBecker писал(а):  

(16.05.2024 19:09)SWAT писал(а):  The rendering type does not affect image loading speed. Quite the contrary, for hardware rendering of images you also need to load them into video memory, which will only slow down the loading. So loading speed is not equal to rendering speed. These are different things.
SDL was chosen a long time ago and because of its simplicity and convenience. Yes, I would like the rendering to be faster in some places, but this only appears when scrolling the list of files and the console text, nothing more. Otherwise it works quite well. For special cases such as video frames display, there is a mechanism for hardware rendering on top of a software screen. This one is used for camera previews.
Thus, the DS has a hybrid rendering mechanism.

I see, do you think it's possible to upgrade SDL to a newer version? Or is it too difficult?

It couldn't work any better and this is not easy to do. I don't see the point in this.
What specifically don't suit you in current version of SDL?
The DS is designed in such a way that you can write anything at any time with hardware acceleration with PVR or Parallax API, on top of the built-in UI on SDL. But of course DS doesn't have hardware GUI API, so you need write your own buttons and so on.
Rewrite DS GUI API for hardware rendered it's like a developing new DreamShell 5.0 and rewrite all apps.

[VeraBecker]

(17.05.2024 07:38)SWAT писал(а):  It couldn't work any better and this is not easy to do. I don't see the point in this.
What specifically don't suit you in current version of SDL?
The DS is designed in such a way that you can write anything at any time with hardware acceleration with PVR or Parallax API, on top of the built-in UI on SDL. But of course DS doesn't have hardware GUI API, so you need write your own buttons and so on.
Rewrite DS GUI API for hardware rendered it's like a developing new DreamShell 5.0 and rewrite all apps.

I am using the object to create threads with SDL to load images faster, it works, the problem is that when I try to kill the thread it gets stuck, it is better to change to Pthread.h and with that library it works, I think it may contain errors.

Question, Does DS have libraries for displaying HTML?

[SWAT]

(17.05.2024 08:00)VeraBecker писал(а):  

(17.05.2024 07:38)SWAT писал(а):  It couldn't work any better and this is not easy to do. I don't see the point in this.
What specifically don't suit you in current version of SDL?
The DS is designed in such a way that you can write anything at any time with hardware acceleration with PVR or Parallax API, on top of the built-in UI on SDL. But of course DS doesn't have hardware GUI API, so you need write your own buttons and so on.
Rewrite DS GUI API for hardware rendered it's like a developing new DreamShell 5.0 and rewrite all apps.

I am using the object to create threads with SDL to load images faster, it works, the problem is that when I try to kill the thread it gets stuck, it is better to change to Pthread.h and with that library it works, I think it may contain errors.

You can use pthreads or KOS kernel threads API.
But I think your issue not from SDL in general. What you mean "kill thread" and what in this thread executed?
Threads can't speed up something on single core CPU , you get it as pseudo async nothing more.

(17.05.2024 08:00)VeraBecker писал(а):  Question, Does DS have libraries for displaying HTML?

Of course no It's too complicated to do. And modern sites are very gluttonous, Dreamcast can no longer do anything about it.
HTML parsing it is not a problem, the library that is used for XML in applications can handle this I think, and I made DS XML similar to HTML. But this is very, very far from modern HTML.

[VeraBecker]

(17.05.2024 11:17)SWAT писал(а):  You can use pthreads or KOS kernel threads API.
But I think your issue not from SDL in general. What you mean "kill thread" and what in this thread executed?

In other words, finish them without them running out, I was already able to do it

When I click to advance the page, I load the images asynchronously, so I can click without that page finishing loading on the main desktop.

I already did it but... I didn't like it.

When I was testing I found something, the memory when entering the DS is low, but when you open and close the Settings app for some reason it frees up a lot of memory, do you know why?

Use the mstats command to check memory.

[SWAT]

(18.05.2024 23:20)VeraBecker писал(а):  When I was testing I found something, the memory when entering the DS is low, but when you open and close the Settings app for some reason it frees up a lot of memory, do you know why?

Use the mstats command to check memory.

When you go to the Settings application, the Main application is unloaded from memory along with the shortcuts. The Settings application does not have many different graphic elements therefore it takes up little memory.

[pcwzrd13]

@SWAT Is there a way to delete shortcuts in DreamShell without using a PC? It not, it would be a really nice feature. Maybe if you hold down the A button on an icon, it will give you the option to delete it?

Edit: Figured out you can delete the script files with the file browser. Still would be a nice feature to be able to do it from the desktop though.

[SWAT]

(22.05.2024 21:05)pcwzrd13 писал(а):  @SWAT Is there a way to delete shortcuts in DreamShell without using a PC? It not, it would be a really nice feature. Maybe if you hold down the A button on an icon, it will give you the option to delete it?

Edit: Figured out you can delete the script files with the file browser. Still would be a nice feature to be able to do it from the desktop though.

Yeah only in FileManager app you can do it.
That's a good idea, when I'm in the mood, I'll thinking about it.

[pcwzrd13]

I found a weird issue with DS. I was trying to replace some of the desktop game shortcut icons with custom ones and it seems to only be able to load a few of them. They're all identical 128x128 PNGs. If I try and replace too many of them, nothing loads at all. I also noticed the date and time at the bottom are just 0s when this happens. Any idea what the problem is @SWAT?

[SWAT]

(26.05.2024 21:15)pcwzrd13 писал(а):  I found a weird issue with DS. I was trying to replace some of the desktop game shortcut icons with custom ones and it seems to only be able to load a few of them. They're all identical 128x128 PNGs. If I try and replace too many of them, nothing loads at all. I also noticed the date and time at the bottom are just 0s when this happens. Any idea what the problem is @SWAT?

The file system may have been damaged. Try formatting.

[pcwzrd13]

(28.05.2024 12:41)SWAT писал(а):  

(26.05.2024 21:15)pcwzrd13 писал(а):  I found a weird issue with DS. I was trying to replace some of the desktop game shortcut icons with custom ones and it seems to only be able to load a few of them. They're all identical 128x128 PNGs. If I try and replace too many of them, nothing loads at all. I also noticed the date and time at the bottom are just 0s when this happens. Any idea what the problem is @SWAT?

The file system may have been damaged. Try formatting.

It's not that. I tried replacing the covers on a completely different CF card and the same thing happened. If I try and replace more than 3 or so, it fails to load any game icons and the date and time change to 0s. The default covers work fine but the custom ones don't.

On a related note, is it just me or do the Visual Concepts games not have any cover art on the disc?

[Ro Magnus Larsson]

A question, this DS 4 release has any change related to LBA for IDE HDDs ? I can not make run much games in a 80Gb IDE HDD or games which run ok in previous release are not working. Just tried many presets but a few results, some of them show LBA not supported but most of them show loading screen forever

[end666]

(05.02.2024 18:15)VeraBecker писал(а):  

(05.02.2024 13:18)SWAT писал(а):  1 and 2) VMU options saves in shortcuts and presets for me. Can someone also confirm that?
VMU checkboxes are not saved as checkbox state. In reality, only the dump number is stored. And the choice of checkboxes depends on whether there is a VMU dump in the game folder or not. The ISO Loader creating private dump if you select this option and removing it if you select Shared option.
You using SATA adapter? Speedtest working fine?

3) Yeah there is a bug. Thanks for report. Most often this is not really necessary, so you can correct such a preset manually in a text editor.

Thanks Swat,
I use original CF 128gb.
PIO Write: 37Mbit
PIO Read: 27Mbit
DMA IO Read: 107Mbit

1 and 2, I did with Unreal but today i will test with the another game.


UPDATE
Daytona USA (NTSC) work shorcut with vmu.
Virtua Striker working too.
Unreal PAL and NTSC does not work shortcut with vmu, no detected for me but direct from isoloader yes

So is only Unreal problem?


UPDATE 2
I checked and there is something strange that I had seen with another game.
If I turn on the dreamcast ISO Loader
Select any game
Enter your settings and click the save icon, without saving the preset
I close the isoloader
I run the shortcut of the unreal. And it works well together with Virtual VMU.

Hello!
I'm Brazilian and I'm using a translator, I hope my writing is clear!
What exactly do I write as a parameter and where to make the "private dump" work?

[VeraBecker]

(29.05.2024 05:56)end666 писал(а):  Hello!
I'm Brazilian and I'm using a translator, I hope my writing is clear!
What exactly do I write as a parameter and where to make the "private dump" work?

Hello, I'm sorry, I don't understand you, what parameter?

[SWAT]

(28.05.2024 17:15)pcwzrd13 писал(а):  

(28.05.2024 12:41)SWAT писал(а):  

(26.05.2024 21:15)pcwzrd13 писал(а):  I found a weird issue with DS. I was trying to replace some of the desktop game shortcut icons with custom ones and it seems to only be able to load a few of them. They're all identical 128x128 PNGs. If I try and replace too many of them, nothing loads at all. I also noticed the date and time at the bottom are just 0s when this happens. Any idea what the problem is @SWAT?

The file system may have been damaged. Try formatting.

It's not that. I tried replacing the covers on a completely different CF card and the same thing happened. If I try and replace more than 3 or so, it fails to load any game icons and the date and time change to 0s. The default covers work fine but the custom ones don't.

Well, I need to research this.

(28.05.2024 17:15)pcwzrd13 писал(а):  On a related note, is it just me or do the Visual Concepts games not have any cover art on the disc?

You can mount image and look for 0GDTEX.PVR

[SWAT]

(28.05.2024 22:50)Ro Magnus Larsson писал(а):  A question, this DS 4 release has any change related to LBA for IDE HDDs ? I can not make run much games in a 80Gb IDE HDD or games which run ok in previous release are not working. Just tried many presets but a few results, some of them show LBA not supported but most of them show loading screen forever

Since version 0.6.3+ (or a little later) of ISO Loader all loader firmwares support only LBA48. Including 0.7 and 0.8.
The Core of DreamShell support LBA28, LBA48 and even CHS.

[end666]

(29.05.2024 07:19)VeraBecker писал(а):  

(29.05.2024 05:56)end666 писал(а):  Hello!
I'm Brazilian and I'm using a translator, I hope my writing is clear!
What exactly do I write as a parameter and where to make the "private dump" work?

Hello, I'm sorry, I don't understand you, what parameter?

Hello!!
I want to know how to make the "private dump" work. I read the explanations, but my games don't open. Would you have any tips?

[VeraBecker]

(29.05.2024 08:03)end666 писал(а):  

(29.05.2024 07:19)VeraBecker писал(а):  

(29.05.2024 05:56)end666 писал(а):  Hello!
I'm Brazilian and I'm using a translator, I hope my writing is clear!
What exactly do I write as a parameter and where to make the "private dump" work?

Hello, I'm sorry, I don't understand you, what parameter?

Hello!!
I want to know how to make the "private dump" work. I read the explanations, but my games don't open. Would you have any tips?

Mmm ok, Surely you need to optimize them, I do it with some applications that RetroDream brings.