> Hi all. Does anyone know when the final release date of WinEdt
> 6 will be? I heard it is the end of this year. However, we are
> already in December 2009.
I am working on it: It will be released in the beginning of
March.
Test versions might be available before that (as early as mid
January) but they may not be completely documented and some
changes to default settings might be done for the official
release depending on feedback...
Significant changes have been made to WinEdt's interfaces. In
particular, the way it is configured and customized has been
completely changed. Preferences, Settings, Appearance, Menu
Setup, and Highlighting Dialogs have been dropped (eliminated)
in favor of a new (consistent) Options Interface. Programming
work on WinEdt 6 is pretty much finished but lots of stuff has
to be documented or else I will be swamped with questions and
support requests...
Not many users know this but I had a pretty solid version of
WinEdt 6 ready more than a year ago. However, a dilemma arose
whether to release it as the first step towards the new setup
or to bite a bullet and replace the above dialogs with more
manageable interface. This took a lot of work and involved many
decisions on how to reorganize all the options. Once a decision
was made I was able to get rid of tens of thousands of lines of
legacy code (compatibility when it comes to loading the
settings from previous versions). I was also able to fix some
design mistakes: the old configuration dialogs were a result of
adding new functionality and options over many years: as a
consequence of such evolution they were overcrowded and lacking
logical organization. New functionality and enhancement to
highlighting ability has been made (for example environments
can have their background in custom colors -- the whole block
regardless of the length of text). Also changing a
configuration no longer requires rewriting the menu and toolbar
-- it is handled much more efficiently and switching between
TeX Live and MiKTeX is a "snap". And there is more...
Too much of old code was dealing with Import/ Export
functionality which was not well conceived, anyway (extracting
and loading configuration components with almost 100 macros for
this purpose in semi-editable format was never a good idea).
Anyway, all this has now been dealt with and the code is much
cleaner as a result. This makes a prospect of migrating to a
new Delphi compiler and producing a proper Unicode/ UTF-8
version (for version 6.1) much more feasible and less of a
nightmare. I am still working on a Backup/ Restore macros that
will allow smooth upgrading of Versions 6.x from here on
(although some changes might still be necessary for Unicode
version).
But there are also consequences that some users might find a
strong enough deterrent not to migrate to WinEdt 6:
- Old settings cannot be automatically imported in new
version. WinEdt 6 will have to be installed parallel to the
old version (both can be run simultaneously) and any
customizations will have to be done manually (this may
require some reading of documentation). Running both versions
simultaneously will allow you to compare, explore the new
version and decide which you like better (at your leisure).
- Components on WinEdt.org that use Import/ Export macros
will not automatically install in the new version. They will
have to be revisited and updated for WinEdt 6 (they should
take advantage of the new Configuration Filters instead of
reloading the menus directly!). This may take some time and
will require the community to get involved...
- WinEdt 6 requires a new code and this will require paying
an upgrade fee. Exceptions will be made for users that bought
a license or an upgrade within a year. Also users that are
willing to get involved with updating of macros on WinEdt.org
or want to help with documentation or make a reasonable
contribution will be issued a new code free of change upon
request...
If WinEdt 6 is reasonably well received the unicode version
should be available by the end of next year. Also some major
new functionality (like folding) will be considered. If, on the
other hand, WinEdt 6 will be a "flop" I'll have to reconsider
my options: perhaps the days of custom written and supported
shareware applications like WinEdt are numbered. No hard
feelings, though; it's been an interesting 15 years and I have
no regrets...
Best regards,
alex
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