[Power]

LaunchELF v3.55b beta (1.04.2006)
v3.55b beta is the second beta produced in an attempt to solve some problems of v3.54.
v3.55a beta failed to do so, because it revealed more problems that we'd missed before.
For me, all of those problems have been cured in the new beta, and hopefully that will also be true for all other users as well.
One of the problems this version is intended to solve is screen flicker that some users have complained about. The new beta makes screen update calls only when there is new data to output, which significantly lowers the risk of 'VRAM access glitch' flicker. This also lowers the workload on the GS, thus lowering the risk of critical timing problems, another possible source of flicker.
This beta also cures the problems revealed by the previous one. The 'loadSkin' function has been equipped with 'itoGsFinish()' calls after both texture load calls, to ensure that no calls that refer to the textures can be made while they're incomplete. That eliminated one case of lockup for complex JPGs (thus slow to load). It may also have eliminated other potential problems caused by the same errors, but having different symptoms.
Unlike the previous beta, the new one swaps framebuffers at each VSync, so the loop counters used for pad debouncing are fully compatible with those of old versions, and there are no longer any inconsistencies between pad operation in the modified menus and the menus that still use old methods. (So no conflict with skin file browser.)
Just as for the previous beta, it is only the CONFIG menu and its submenus that have been modified for flicker reduction. The file browser (even when used from CONFIG menus) has not been improved, and neither has the main menu. The routines for text input (eg: 'New Dir' or 'Rename' or 'Menu Title' function), are also unmodified, so flicker tests should not be evaluated with any of those objects on screen. (That's 'main menu', 'file browsers' and 'virtual keyboards', in all.)
The new function readpad_norepeat() has been kept in the code from the last beta, as we may find a use for a non-repeating pad function. But at present it is not used for anything.
Users that suffered from screen flicker problems with previous versions should simply use the CONFIG menu and its submenus in this version, to see if the problem goes away. Since the 'SKIN SETTINGS' submenu is one of those using the new methods, you can conveniently test whether any particular skin will give flickers even with the new methods, without having to leave that menu between tests. Report your results, as always, in the main thread of the uLaunchELF forum at PS2-Scene.
Code changes between the two betas are confined to "config.c" and "draw.c" (as far as I can recall...)
Best regards: Ronald Andersson (AKA: dlanor)

Ecco il log di questa nuova versione beta. ciao