Life after/beyond PowerCadd?

[[email protected]]

Let's also recognize that it's possible and likely that Parallels Desktop will have a 32-bit world that will run on M1, M2, M3 machines. I believe they've been talking about this possibility.

Parallels already does support the M1 and Intel, and Mojave can be installed on a virtual machine running on the M1. Mojave provides Carbon which is what PowerCADD needs to run. In other words, there is a way to run PowerCADD on the M1 machines. My estimation is that that setup will work at least into the foreseeable future - years.

Todd

[Derek]

...and Mojave can be installed on a virtual machine running on the M1

Are you sure about that? My understanding is that is yet to happen.

Derek

[[email protected]]

...and Mojave can be installed on a virtual machine running on the M1

Are you sure about that? My understanding is that is yet to happen.

You are correct Derek. I misspoke; that is yet to happen.

Todd

[Eric Pousse]

Todd,

I think that your solution of a translator to a XML format is good.
And I will be happy to try to read such XML files with RealCADD and iPocket Draw.

Eric

[Alfred Scott]

Eric,

Maybe you already know this, but in reading an XML file, you cannot be assured of getting any value that you ask for with a tag, therefore for every value, you have to set a default value that will be used if your value comes back as NULL.

Alfred

[EduardoJB]

Todd, I’m guessing there would be an announcement regarding the translator?

[[email protected]]

Todd, I’m guessing there would be an announcement regarding the translator?

Eduardo,

I will be posting a preliminary version of a translator this week which creates will read and translate at least some PowerCADD files. I’ll post a link on the forum. I will also publish the new file’s dictionary specification at the same time.

In Cocoa-speak, the translated file format will be a NSDictionary which is streamed as a property list XML. This makes it possible for 3rd parties to read this format into memory with a single line of code. What is left after that is to read data directly from the dictionary. The precise format of property lists is documented here: https://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd. The Engineered Software’s published dictionary format will follow in a day or two.

I have spent the last several days working out, implementing and documenting the precise format of the dictionaries. Contrary to an earlier comment, which elements are optional in the XML dictionary is precisely defined. There may be some fine tuning and streamlining of the dictionary keys as I continue to work on this.

Interesting that no one has contacted tech support regarding beta testing the new translator. This translator makes use of the rewritten Cocoa-native(Carbon free) PowerCADD core. In order for the translator to be a success, since the new core has not been in user’s hands, it needs qualification by reading real world files, and therefore willing beta testers with real files. Anyone interested please contact me directly as the forum isn’t the right place for this kind of discussion.

Todd

[EduardoJB]

Thanks. I don’t know a thing about code, but I will be following any development if someone tests it.

[lava]

Derek has kindly created a new forum for us, and I have posted a first Topic for registering your interest in finding a solution to move PowerCadd forward. Please just post there once, so it can allow us to quickly make a count of interested parties. No discussion of What Ifs there please, simply start a new Topic for that.

Link: https://www.engsw.com/PowerCADDForum/vi ... ?f=6&t=242

Responding to the discussion here, if indeed Apple creates a path to run Mojave and so current versions of PowerCadd in a virtual machine, that will be a huge relief to all otherwise stuck using a separate machine for PowerCadd, or prevented from updating their main computer in order to keep PowerCadd running. And it could very well serve as a way forward for some willing to rely on running in a virtual machine going forward. However I do not believe this makes an effort to see PowerCadd move forward moot. Those willing to be committed to it should still pursue this. The more options we can create to move forward the better.

[EduardoJB]

Derek, Todd:

Apparently Parallels 16.5 can already run Mojave on an M1 Mac... So, I suppose it will be able to run PowerCADD?

https://kb.parallels.com/124223