PixInsight 1.8.8-3 Released

[Juan Conejero]

Hi all,

I am glad to announce a new version of the PixInsight core application: 1.8.8-3. This is an important maintenance release providing bug fixes and stability improvements on all platforms.

Installation packages for PixInsight 1.8.8-3 are now available to all licensed users for FreeBSD, Linux, macOS and Windows:

https://pixinsight.com/dist/

For technical reasons this version cannot be available as an application update. You have to install version 1.8.8-3 manually:

- FreeBSD and Linux: The installation packages are xz-compressed tar archives (.tar.xz). To install one of these archives, just extract its full contents on any directory, preferably on one located under your home directory. Then become root and run the installer program from a terminal. Normally you should just type "yes" and press Enter to accept the default settings. Say './installer --help' for detailed information on command line arguments.

- macOS: If you have a previous version of PixInsight already installed, you must uninstall it by moving the /Applications/PixInsight folder to trash (known as bin on macOS 10.15). Run the .pkg installation package and follow the instructions.

- Windows: If you have a previous version of PixInsight already installed, please uninstall it from Control Panel or Add and Remove Programs. Run the installation package and follow the instructions.

If you have version 1.8.6, 1.8.7 or 1.8.8 already installed, this new version does not require a license reactivation. If you are still using a 1.8.5 version or older, see the official 1.8.6 version announcement for a detailed description of our new licensing system. See also FAQ 2.10 for additional information on license reactivations.


Main Bug Fixes and Improvements

This version is a maintenance/bugfix release focused on stability improvements, paving the way towards PixInsight 1.8.9. As such it does not provide relevant new features, but just minor performance improvements and many bug fixes. Version 1.8.8-3 fixes all confirmed bugs since the initial 1.8.8 release.

Among the main changes in this version, the following ones are worth mentioning:

Windows: Fixed a bug that was causing sporadic application crashes during long/intensive batch tasks, such as the WBPP script. This bug has been extremely complex and difficult to reproduce consistently, and has required a considerable amount of work in order to fully understand it.

Windows: The entire PixInsight platform uses from now on an ANGLE driver implementing the OpenGL ES API, which we include in the standard PixInsight distribution for Windows. The ANGLE driver provides an emulation of OpenGL ES version 2.0 or higher on top of Direct3D 9 or Direct3D 11 (detected automatically). This removes our dependency on desktop OpenGL drivers, which have been causing considerable problems on Windows. The Linux/UNIX and macOS versions of PixInsight will continue using native desktop OpenGL graphics acceleration.

Windows: The Windows version of PixInsight can now provide stack backtraces for critical exceptions, such as access violations, in a similar way to the UNIX/Linux and macOS versions. This will help us to diagnose potential problems more efficiently.

All Platforms: Fixed a regression that was causing sporadic crashes when image windows were closed programmatically. This bug was being triggered more frequently by the Blink tool.


New INDIGO-based INDIClient module

With PixInsight 1.8.8-3 we are releasing an initial version of the INDIClient module, written by Klaus Kretzschmar, fully based on the INDIGO platform. This is an important milestone that deserves a special official release, which we'll carry out during the coming days. Congratulations to Klaus for his excellent work and dedication, and a big thanks to Peter Polakovic and Rumen Bogdanovski for their help and for making this possible by creating the wonder that is INDIGO.


Known Issues

FreeBSD and Linux

* Recent versions of the KDE Plasma desktop environment include a morphing popups desktop effect that causes problems with recent PixInsight versions. If this effect is enabled, it slows down some dragging operations in the PixInsight core application, such as dragging icons and view selectors. You should disable this effect, which is very easy from KDE's System Settings panel. This problem is also present on Linux.

* On recent versions of the KDE Plasma desktop environment, a display tearing prevention option (v-sync) is enabled by default. This option can cause input lag problems (e.g., slow cursor movement over image windows). This option should be disabled for optimal PixInsight performance:

- System Settings > Display and Monitor > Tearing prevention: set to 'Never'
- Click Apply

Linux

* PixInsight is not compatible with the open-source Nouveau graphics driver. If your distribution is using Nouveau, you must remove and replace it with the proprietary Nvidia driver in order to use PixInsight.

macOS

* On Apple MacBook laptops with dual graphics cards, the integrated Intel HD graphics driver has been causing minor usability issues on macOS 10.14 Mojave. Apparently these problems have been fixed in macOS 10.15 Catalina.

Windows

* Intel HD graphics drivers have been causing serious problems on Windows. Hopefully most of these issues have been resolved once we no longer depend on desktop OpenGL drivers by default.

* On some laptops with nonstandard screen resolutions, such as the Microsoft Surface, PixInsight cannot find valid screen scaling factors automatically. On these machines, you may have to run the PixInsight core application with the --ui-scaling command line argument. For example, to apply a UI scaling factor of 2:

C:\Program Files\PixInsight\bin\PixInsight.exe --ui-scaling=2

You only have to do this once, since the scaling factor will be stored in application preferences automatically. Of course, if you already are using version 1.8.6 and the interface looks correct, then you don't need to do this; this is only required for new installations.

__________

Thank you for your attention.

[Sedat]

Thanks for keeping up the good work!

Is there a way to keep our scripts, settings etc in tact when we re-install PI manually ? I find quite cumbersome to install the scripts etc over and over again.

[Juan Conejero]

Thank you. If you use nonstandard scripts, the best way to reinstall them quickly is to store them on a dedicated folder, for example a folder under your home directory. Then after installing a new version of PixInsight just select Script > Feature scripts to reinstall your scripts in seconds.

I don't know why so many people insist in copying nonstandard scripts on the application's src/scripts distribution directory. This is an error because that directory is removed when the application is uninstalled. Scripts can be stored anywhere on your local filesystem.

[Sedat]

Thank you Juan. Will do as you say. I'm keeping back up of those in a different folder but for some reason I thought they needed to be copied to src/scripts distribution directory.

Gracias

Sedat

[jtaylor9]

Thank you. If you use nonstandard scripts, the best way to reinstall them quickly is to store them on a dedicated folder, for example a folder under your home directory. Then after installing a new version of PixInsight just select Script > Feature scripts to reinstall your scripts in seconds.

I don't know why so many people insist in copying nonstandard scripts on the application's src/scripts distribution directory. This is an error because that directory is removed when the application is uninstalled. Scripts can be stored anywhere on your local filesystem.

Well, Duh!  Seems obvious but I did not realize I could do that.  THANK YOU!
JT

[glabelle]

Installed, ran and exited cleanly on my system.

Windows 10 Home, 64bit, v1909, build 18363.476

[jhayes_tucson]

Juan,
Thanks for the update and for the world class job that you guys do supporting your customers.  A+
John

[Juan Conejero]

Thank you, John. I just try to do my job the best I can. I appreciate your comment a lot.

[jfschafer]

Wanted to remind folks this update requires you to uninstall PixInsight manually and download/reinstall from scratch. Checking for updates from within PixInsight won't detect any new updates, so you have to manually uninstall, download and install.

Also, and this isn't mentioned, once you do that and 1.8.8-3 is installed, check for updates in the RESOURCES menu of PixInsight (post reinstall) because there are a few more updates you will get post install that aren't included in the latest 1.8.8-3 installer.  Looking at what the post updates actually were, it isn't anything super major but the Documentation is updated post uninstall/reinstall via the updates option within RESOURCES menu of PixInsight.

Thanks dev team for your hard work getting these updates to us. I can only imagine the work put into them, especially ones that fix bugs that are hard to trace down. Great job!!! Best Astro imaging tool on the planet!!

[moos]

Hello Juan,

thanks for the update. Try to install great tool starnet into new version.
Copy the starnet files into the bin folder.
Can t find the process.

Could you please help me.

Thank you
Dirk

[Felipe]

Thanks again for your job
I'm not an usual participant of your forum, just reader time to time.
But today I have the following problem to start PI:
'no disk into reader, insert disk into reader D: abort retry continue'
I choise continue several times and I see:
'Impossible to start this program because it's missing the file:

api-ms-win-core-heap-i2-1-0.dll

I've tried to reinstall: same
I reinstall the precedent version : no problem

PLEASE if you have any information about that...

Thank you

Philippe LAURENT
FRANCE

[wfcashwell]

Is there any way to install 1.8.8-3 using Windows 7 64bit? I get the following error about a missing .dll file. I tried reinstalling and received the same error. My Windows 7 system has 'api-ms-win-core-libraryloader-I1-1-0.dll' instead of the dll referenced in the error. I have looked on my up to date Windows 10 laptop system and the file isn't their either. I really would like to be able to use Pixinsight on my Windows 7 desktop pc, if at all possible. Thanks.

PixInsight: PixInsight.exe - System Error

The program can't start because
api-ms-win-core-libraryloader-I1-2-0.dll is missing from your
computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem.

[jwaters125]

If you resolve the 'api-ms-win-core-libraryloader.....dll' error you will run into others.  Unfortunately you will have to upgrade to Win 10.  A New install or an Upgrade. 

[Felipe]

Should I understand that PI is now only for W10 users ?
Here Windows 8.1 pro x64 all updates performed today
I remark that PI wants a file for processor I2 if I understand well, but I'm using an I7 core ?
I add that the problem appears only for this last version of PI
Also after to click about 5 times on 'continue' finally starts, hope correctly ??
A solution would be welcome...
Sorry for this claim
I'm still fan of Pixinsight
Philippe LAURENT

[kwalker]

Just chiming in.
I also can not install the latest PI version because of the missing file report.
this is after completely uninstalling the previous version.
when I reinstalled the previous I had some random repository error appear rendering updates impossible...so I did a system restore.
Windows 10 doesn't play well with others ,and the realization that some people have obsolete discontinued cameras valued over 10,000 ...support is discontinued as well.
were stuck with windows 7 for a spell...at least until we can migrate legacy drivers into windows 10...or win the lottery.
 a little help here
Ken