CHAPTER 9    RELEASE HISTORY AND FUTURE PLANS


Release History of D86

All releases include bug fixes.

V2.15  August 1986.  Initial public release of the MSDOS version
       of D86. The last previous version ran under the Xenix
       operating system on the Altos series of computers. I
       improved the invocation syntax, incorporated IBM function
       keys into the interface, and added on-line help.

V2.16  August 1986.  Added the ability to make forward references
       in patch-memory mode.

V2.18  November 1986.  Added the "O" command, to trap INT 33
       calls.

V2.19  Test release in conjunction with A86 V2.90 test release

V2.22  April 1987.  Release in conjunction with A86 V3.00.  Added
       support for new 286 and NEC-specific instructions.  Added
       "F" command, and Shift-F7 commands.  Added the floating
       point window.

V2.23  June 1987.  Added support for Sanyo 55x computers.

V2.24  June 1987.  Added support for Tandy 2000 computers.

V3.09  August 1987.  Major upgrade: first product-quality
       release.  Added support for EXE files, some support for
       BAT files, second disassembly window, extended memory
       display window, status window, floating point memory
       display types, backwards paging and sensible Up-Arrow, W
       command to write program and symbols to disk, enhanced
       HOME key, Ctrl-T set top-of-stack key, and ctrl-E
       go-to-end key.

V3.10  September 1987.   Trap INT 020 and INT 027.

V3.11  November 1987.

V3.12  February 1988.  Interface with the new SYM file format of
       A86.

V3.13  March 1988.  Made memory management more flexible, so D86
       requires less memory to run.

V3.15  May 1988.  Added data breakpoint for 386-based machines,
       available to registered users only.

V3.17  June 1988.  Added support for the Zenith Z-100.

V3.18  July 1988.  Added MAPD86 tool for registered users only.

V3.20  July 1989.  Added F9 key.
                                                              9-2

V3.21  August 1989.  Added Ctrl-X key, and changed F1 not to step
       into interrupts.

V3.22  January 1990.  Added support for the IIT-2C87 and 80387
       coprocessors.

V3.70  January 1994.  Test release in conjunction with A86 V3.70
       test release.

V3.71  April 1994.

V3.72  September 1994.


Future Plans

I'd like to thank all of you who have supported A86 and D86 so
far with your registrations.  Your support has allowed me to
spend the past seven years working exclusively on my shareware
products.

D86 is still a fair amount short of my ultimate vision for it. I
got sidetracked into developing my ZIPKEY zipcode directory
package, and have not had the chance to add the following new
features.  But I am still eager to see them, and I hope to add
them this year:

     * save and play back keyboard scripts

     * save and switch to/from the program's full screen

     * interrupt a running program from the keyboard

I am also working on A386 and D386, and I am including a
preliminary version of both on the registered A86+D86 disk.  I
will be completing more features for that package, hopefully by
the end of the year.