README.TXT              Blinker 5.1 Release Notes                  98.11.06
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 Welcome to Blinker 5.1. This file contains the latest information on
 Blinker, so please read the following sections carefully, and study
 the new sections in the Windows help file BLINKER.HLP, before calling
 technical support.

 In particular, please refer to the 'Quick Start by compiler' section
 for your compiler in the online help, and follow the detailed
 instructions describing how to create, link and run a small test
 program before calling technical support.

 Contents

 1.  General Notes
 2.  Instructions for specific compilers
 3.  DOS extender notes
 4.  New commands
 5.  New environment settings
 6.  New error messages
 7.  Contact details

 1. General Notes

 The greatly improved compression algorithm in Blinker 5.x requires
 that ALL modules in an application, i.e. the .EXE and any .DLLs it
 uses, must be re-linked with the latest Blinker. Run time GPFs will
 occur if the .EXE file was compressed with an older version than the
 .DLLs, or a Blinker run time error 1321 will occur if the .EXE file
 was compressed with 5.x but a .DLL was compressed with an older
 version.

 2. Instructions for specific compilers

 2.1 Alaska Xbase++ 1.1

 Blinker supports Alaska Xbase++ 1.1 Service Release 1 (1.1 SL1) and
 later for the creation of 32 bit Windows programs, including automatic
 execution of Blinker from PBUILD and full support of the Xbase++
 debugger.

 Please ensure that you are using a minimum of version 1.1 Service
 Release 1, dated June 1998, before contacting us or Alaska for
 support. Using an older version of Xbase++ with Blinker can result in
 many types of errors, including GPFs at link time, the debugger not
 displaying program source code correctly, or Blinker error 1165 on an
 import library for a .DLL.

 If you have a problem with an Xbase++ program linked with Blinker,
 always try re-linking the same program with Alink and running it in
 exactly the same environment before contacting Blinkinc for support.
 If the problem also occurs with the program linked with Alink, then it
 is obviously not specific to Blinker, so cannot be supported by
 Blinkinc.

 2.2. CA-Clipper 5.x Windows programs

 The OBJ subdirectory of the Blinker installation directory includes
 the file MPAR.OBJ which should be linked to all CA-Clipper-for-Windows
 programs. This file fixes a bug in CLIPPER.LIB versions 5.3b and
 earlier which prevented Windows programs from loading when a
 particular internal table was spread across a 32 KB boundary. This
 could occur in CA-Clipper Windows programs of any size, and when it
 did so, Windows would typically display the helpful message 'A device
 connected to the system is not responding' and terminate the program.

 3. DOS extender notes

 3.1. Add on / 3rd party libraries

 The file 3RDPARTY.TXT in the Blinker installation directory contains
 the latest information we have available. The information was supplied
 by the vendors concerned, so is provided on an as is basis and Blink,
 Inc makes no guarantee that the information is correct.

 4. New commands

 None

 5. New environment settings

 None

 6. New error messages

 None

 7. Contact details

 Blink, Inc.,
 P.O. Box 29858,
 Richmond,
 VA 23242-0858
 USA

 Sales:          (804) 784 2087        sales@blinkinc.com
 Support:        (804) 784 2347        blinkersupport@blinkinc.com
 Web:            www.blinkinc.com