Release Note 0.9.10-pre2
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FlightGear 0.9.10 for Mac OS X, Universal Binary pre 2

November 24, 2006

This is a pre-release universal binary package. Though it seems stable so far, I need more feedback to improve stability especially on Intel Macs. If you have a chance to use an Intel Mac, give it a try and help me. Thanks in advance.

What's New in This Release

  • Bug fixes (see Known Issue)
  • The launcher is completely rewritten. Now it's with RubyCocoa, which will be included in Leopard.
  • The launcher displays the thumbnail image of a selected aircraft.
  • FlightGear.app can be installed into any folder.

Known Issues

There are several known issues with pre-release packages. Fixed items are shown in red.

  • The sun was not rendered properly (fixed on 0.9.10-pre2).
  • Shadows did not appear (fixed on 0.9.10-pre2); Don't forget to check the rendering options for shadows.
  • Re-sizing the window(while not full-screen) will sometimes lead to visual corruption (mostly fixed on 0.9.10-pre1).
  • FlightGear doesn't launch - closes after pressing "Start Flight" (fixed on 0.9.10-pre2).
  • fgfs doesn't launch - closes after pressing "Start Flight" (fixed on 0.9.10-pre2)
  • It is tested only on Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro and PowerBook G4 - I need your help
  • It will probably run only on OS X 10.4.x

Further Information and Help

FlightGear Mac OS X website is the first place to visit. Jump Start Guide, Users Guide, Troubleshooting, and documents for developers are available at the Documents page.

Mailing list, discussion forum, and various requests are also available at the Help and DIscussion page.

The official FlightGear web site is also a good source of information. Manuals, quick reference guide, tutorials, and additional documentation are available at the FlightGear Documentation page.


Typical Q & A

Here are some typical Q & A specific to Mac OS X version.

Q: FlightGear closes when I press "Start Flight" and nothing happens. How can I launch the simulator?
A: Launch Terminal.app (at /Applications/Utilities) and type the following command (without "$"):

 $ cd /Applications/FlightGear.app/Contents/Resources
 $ ./fgfs --fg-root=/Applications/FlightGear.app/Contents/Resources --aircraft=p51d --airport=KSFO

You can change the aircraft and the airport as you want.

Q: Can I install FlightGear other than the Applications folder?
A: Yes. you can install it anywhere as long as it is writable folder.

Q: I can't use Function keys because these are reserved for controlling hardware features. How can I use these keys on FlightGear? A: Open "System preferences" -> "Keyboard and Mouse." Then check "Use the F1-F12 keys to control software features." Unfortunately, MacBook Pro users cannot assign F9-F12 if it is used by Expose. Change the shortcut keys for Expose from System preferences as well.

Q: FlightGear crashes while I'm flying. How can I find the problems?
A: Open "/Applications/Utilities/Console.app" to see the error log that FlightGear wrote.

See also Troubleshooting for more information.


Contact

This release was produced by Tat Nishioka. If you have any questions or problems for this release, either email me (tat <dot> fgmacosx <at> gmail <dot> com) or post your question to:

  • Mailing List
  • FlightGear Mac OS X Website
  • Help and Open Discussion Please refrain from emailing me for the general questions about playing FlightGear.