[Magic-dev] Magic-7.3.83

[R. Timothy Edwards]

Hello everyone,

    I don't know how many people have been paying close attention
to my release notes on magic-7.3, but I'd like to point out some
exciting new features that I added in the last two weeks, for
which I have worked out pretty much all of the bugs, leaving
once again a reasonably stable distribution.

   The "new" magic uses an internal backing-store mechanism on
the graphics to do a quick save of the layout drawing.  The so-
called "highlights" like the box and selections are drawn after
the save.  So the box can be moved around by replacing the layout
underneath from backing store, rather than redrawing the layout
underneath from the database.  The result is that boxes and
other highlights can be moved around so fast that certain
functions can be made interactive (see below).  In addition, the
backing store is used to map portions of the layout as one
scrolls around the layout, so only that part of the layout that
was previously off-screen needs to be redrawn.  Needless to say,
this makes scrolling very fast (are you aware that you can do
short scrolling motions with the mouse wheel?).

   So, what can now be done interactively?  Well, first there
is (in the Tcl/Tk GUI version (magic -w)) a menu item "Options->
Crosshair" that implements a crosshair cursor on the screen.
Second, there is a new tool called the "pick tool" that allows
one to grab a selection and move it around the screen with the
mouse (a "drag and drop" type mechanism).  Finally, I have
revamped the "wire tool" with an interactive feature that shows
where magic is going to place the next wire (plus, shift-Button
bindings can be used to move up and down the metal routing
layers, and the scroll wheel changes the width of the wire used
for routing).  I think that anyone who deigns to get used to the
new methods will find that wiring things up is relatively
painless (although it still needs a feature to automatically
enforce spacing design rules).

   Comments and suggestions are always welcome.  Enjoy!

   By the way, I am moving to California on a semi-permanent
basis beginning May 1.  Due to the move, I and my Open Circuit
Design, Inc., operation will be effectively unavailable between
roughly April 24 to May 3.  MultiGiG is also moving at the same
time to the Borland building in Scotts Valley, up the road from
where we are now.  My new home address will be in Cupertino,
but hopefully everything else will be the same (email, cell phone,
etc.).  If you want to get in touch with me between now and early
May, please write to me at the multigig.com address only, as
that mail server is the only on sitting on a computer that will
not be moved during that timeframe.

					---Tim

+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Dr. R. Timothy Edwards (Tim)   | email: tim.edwards at multigig.com     |
| MultiGiG, Inc.	 	 | web:   http://www.multigig.com      |
| 3600 Glen Canyon Road          | phone: (831) 440-0600 ext. 20       |
| Scotts Valley, CA 95066        | cell:  (240) 401-0616               |
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+