Changes.txt

Downloaded all arc files from https://github.com/pcayuela/oldftpETHZOberon/tree/master/System3/Native/StdAlone
on 2023-10-05

This is Native Oberon System 3 Release 2.3.6 (Stand-alone) according to readme.txt 

Uncompressed all arc files using https://github.com/pcayuela/oldftpETHZOberon/tree/master/System3/Win95NT/PlugIn
and the Compress.ExtractAll command.

All extracted source files have the same modification date of 1999-05-13
The same applies to the files in apps, docu and gadgets.arc

source1 includes 121, source2 126 and source3 81 *.Mod files, a total of 328 *.Mod files.
Kernel and compiler source code is apparently missing.

Modification steps:
- Converted all *.Mod files to plain text UTF-8 format, where the Oberon character set was translated to regular ISO 8859-1
- Initial git commit
- Added minimal Kernel.Mod and Modules.Mod to satisfy dependencies
- Corrected syntax issues
  removed incompatible syntax like '-' proc name prefix or marker characters (range ASCII 1 .. 10) or '!', or '*' after ARRAY, or typename after END
  commented out CODE sections
  removed unused modules with language extensions: Adaptec7/Script, MathH
- Removed unused modules depending on the compiler: Browser, Builder, Watson0, Watson
- Removed redundant modules: Empty.CD, Mitsumi.CD, GD54xx.Display, W32.Display, VGA.Display, S3C924.Display, S3Trio.Display,
  SVGA.Display, Trace.Display, SVGAH.Display, S3C805.Display
- Syntax git commit
- Removed low-level hardware driver (no longer useful) and corresponding tools: AHA1520, AHA1520Disk, ASPI, NCR810Disk, ATADisk, BootLinker, Disk, 
  SCSI, Partition, IDEDisk, FATFiles, DOS, Diskette, Diskette0, FDInstall, DMA, Backup, DSP, FPA, NCRScript, Net3Com*, PCI, VirtDisk,
  VirtFileDir, VirtFiles, HPLaserPrinter, LPRPrinter, PSPrinter
- Removed network stack (use the one from the OS instead): NetDNS, NetTCP, NetUDP, NetIP, NetPorts, SLIP
- Removed PPP stack (no longer our repsonsibility): all PPP* modules
- Stubbed for later implementation: Input, V24, NetSystem, CD, Centronics, Sound, Files, FileDir
- Minimal implementation of Kernel and Modules; fixes
- Validator 1 git commit
- Replaced SYSTEM.HALT by HALT; SYSTEM.BYTE by BYTE; "SYSTEM.VAL(SET," by "BITS("; "SYSTEM.VAL(LONGINT," by "ORD("; SYSTEM.VAL(CHAR, by "(";
  "SYSTEM.VAL(SHORTINT," by "("; "SYSTEM.VAL(INTEGER," by "("
- Replaced all "COPY(x,y)" by "y := x"
- Added original Displays, Displays.Display, DisplayLinear and CLUTs modules from Native Oberon System 3 Release 2.3.7 Alpha, downloaded and
  extracted from https://sourceforge.net/projects/nativeoberon/files/nativeoberon/Native%20Oberon%202.3.7%20Alpha/NativeOberon_2.3.7.tar.gz/download
  on 2023-09-09 and converted to plain text UTF-8 ISO 8859-1 format; replacing Empty.Display.Mod.
- Redesigned display modules to work with ObxPal; Pattern and FrameBuffer are now regular CHAR/BYTE arrays, no longer unmanaged memory we had to
  access by SYSTEM backdoors; thus replaced all SYSTEM calls with regular language constructs; in consequence patterns are no longer LONGINT but 
  Display.Pattern all over the code.
- Reimplemented File, Input and MathL module based on ObxPal
- Replaced all Oberon BYTE and VAR ARRAY OF BYTE tricks by properly typed constructs (this also applies on the following steps, not explicitly mentioned)
- Redesigned modules to no longer depend on SYSTEM: Objects, Fonts, System
- Finished minimal system 1 which just paints the screen background and the mouse cursor; git commit
- Replaced original compiler specific code in System module by dummies, WIP
- FileDir implementation on ObxPal
- Replaced all ARRAY OF CHAR value by IN parameters where possible (this also applies to the following steps)
- Downloaded the Oberon system files (fonts, System.Tool, etc.) required to run the system from this URL:
  https://github.com/OberonSystem3/TheOberonCompanionCD/blob/main/Linux/LinuxOberonSystem3.tgz (no Oberon.Text included)
- Finished minimal system 2 which paints the right track with operational log and tools viewer; git commit
- Added minimum modules to decently run gadget system with TextDocs
- Redesigned modules to no longer depend on SYSTEM: Bitmaps, Pictures
- Added the Oberon.Text file from https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Oberon/ETH_Oberon/Oberon.Text
- Finished minimal system 3 which uses Gadgets to present the log and tools viewer; git commit
- Downloaded Oberon documentation files referenced by several tools from this URL:
  https://github.com/OberonSystem3/TheOberonCompanionCD/blob/main/Linux/LinuxOberonDocu.tgz
- Added more modules to show built-in documentation like GettingStarted.text
- Remplemented module Math based on ObxPal
- Finished minimal system 4 which demonstrates a representative subset of all Gadgets and nicely displays documentation files with 
  embedded Gadgets; successfully tested on the Mono CLR and with a native C based cross-platform build using ObxIDE 0.9.94.
- Added Rembrandt editor and Sisiphus embedded in built-in documentation; minimal system 5
- The Oberon picture format works after fixes in Pictures and Bitmaps; also the Oberon desktop seems to work.
- Modules reviewed and fixed: Pictures and Objects; need to also review Bitmaps and Display.DisplayBlock
- Added more modules to also show HTML documentation and embedded gadgets; minimal system 6 commit
- Started migratino of the Gfx* modules; too much work for now, suspending.
- Redesigned to no longer use SYSTEM: BIT 
- Downloaded application support files referenced by several apps from this URL:
  https://github.com/OberonSystem3/TheOberonCompanionCD/blob/main/Linux/LinuxOberonApps.tgz
- Added more modules: Draw, Rectangles, Splines, Circles, Tetris, In, RandomNumbers, JPEG, BIT, GIF, XBM, BMP, PCX, ICO, TGA, IFF, PPM, XPM, PSD
  required to run Draw and Tetris apps; minimal system 7 commit
- Managed to extract the system and application support files of release 2.3.6 from the virtual disk files included in the native DOS version
  downloaded from https://github.com/pcayuela/oldftpETHZOberon/tree/master/System3/Native/DosBased/Full using the tool
  https://github.com/rochus-keller/Oberon/tree/master/tools/ExtractVirtDisk 
- Added more modules to support the 2.3.6 system and application files, like Script, ScriptFrames, Styles, EditKeys and ColorWells
- Added more applications like Shanghai, Asteroids, Sokoban, Scramble, FontEditor, Calculator, NoteBooks, HPCalc, ET, Solitaire, Spider, FreeCell
- Implemented https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Oberon/ETH_Oberon/keyboard assignments in PAL
- Minimal system 8 commit, which has a decent feature set for people to explore the platform