CREXX 1.0.0 Beta 2 Release Notes

Release baseline and intended tag: v1.0.0-beta.2. Notes finalized: 2026-06-17. This note is intended to be published from the tagged Release 1 line commit. The v1.0.0-beta.2 tag and GitHub release assets remain the authority for the final shipped package list.

CREXX 1.0.0 beta 2 is the second Release 1 beta baseline after v1.0.0-beta.1. It moves the project from the first packaged Level B baseline toward the fixed-date Release 1 plan by hardening UTF/binary behaviour, references, TRACE metadata, RXAS/VM instruction coverage, toolchain workflows, package signing, and the first visible Level C and Level G slices.

After beta 2 is tagged, develop may contain beta 3 work in progress. Do not infer shipped beta 2 contents from later develop commits without checking the tag and release assets.

Headline Changes Since Beta 1

• Level C parser-mode baseline: scanner/parser glue, contextual keywords, diagnostics, expression parsing, DO, SELECT, instruction tails, syntax validation, DSLSH tests, and an explicit unsupported gate for normal compilation.
• Level B UTF and binary foundation: strict UTF-8 text boundaries, .binary, binary literals, binary RXAS loads and buffer instructions, binary helper BIFs, and clearer string/binary cast policy.
• RXAS and VM instruction coverage: binary instructions, bulk attribute operations, reference instructions, float literal precision, compact format hardening, and expanded instruction regression coverage.
• References and collection foundations: VM reference cells, RXAS reference instructions, explicit source reference, dereference, snapshot, and refvalid, reference iterator tests, typed classlib collections, and iterator coverage.
• TRACE and metadata improvements: source-step metadata, trace-event metadata, namespace filters, trace output sinks, TRACE ENV, minimum abbreviations, source transition markers, and link stripping of source/trace metadata.
• Toolchain and import behaviour: .crexx migration, source extension discovery, source/binary import-root separation, output path normalization, unused import warnings, shebang processing in the driver, --nooptimise spelling support, and linked library inline preservation.
• Level G and AI-adjacent work: rxfnsg LLM providers, LLM ADDRESS demos, and RexxScript evaluator/concept work, including evaluator status reporting and debug support.
• Packaging, CI, and sanitizer hardening: dev snapshot release assets, prototype Linux .deb packaging, signed Windows ZIP workflow, signed/notarized/stapled macOS .pkg installer workflow, CodeQL fixes, integer/bounds/metadata allocation hardening, focused ASan/LSan cleanup, and tighter test harnesses.
• Documentation cleanup: roadmap cleanup, language-level details, library reference moves, BIF/TRACE workflows, FSAY/MSAY docs, and release-oriented public docs.

Final Closure Fixes

The final beta 2 close-out added regression and release-readiness fixes after the initial beta 2 notes were drafted:

• Linux ASan/LSan regression cleanup across assembler, compiler, parser-mode highlighting, linker, VM, class library, and plugin paths.
• tools/asan-run.sh plus docs/ai-context/CREXX_ASAN_TESTING.md for focused sanitizer builds and tests without flooding the terminal.
• Reduced duplicate Release builds of RXVM core sources by sharing the rxvm_core_objects, rxbvm_core_objects, rxvm_platform_objects, and rxvm_platform_notls_objects CMake object targets where appropriate.
• Issue 600 driver fixes for interpreting binary file input, plus supporting class library coverage.
• CREXXSAA Windows fixes for compiler launch, temporary path handling, and exit status propagation.
• Fixes for implicit ADDRESS indexed stem commands.
• Rexx comparison semantics and THE macro regression fixes.
• EraseFile added to the Level B file I/O function surface.
• RexxScript evaluator status/debug refinements.

Upgrade Notes For Beta 1 Users

• .crexx is the canonical cREXX source extension. .crx remains accepted, .rexx remains supported for explicit Classic/compatibility sources, and extensionless initial source names fall back to .crexx.
• Level B text and bytes are now more clearly separated. Use .string for valid UTF-8 text and .binary for arbitrary bytes.
• The driver can handle binary input paths more reliably than beta 1. If a beta 1 workflow depended on text-only assumptions, retest it against beta 2.
• Level C is visible but not yet a normal compilation target. Treat beta 2 Level C as parser/highlighter and front-end validation work unless a specific demo says otherwise.
• rxfnsg is the first Level G library area. For beta 2 it is real but narrow, centered on LLM/client demos rather than a complete separate language level.
• rxdb remains experimental. It is useful for smoke testing and debugger work, but it is not yet a supported full debugger contract.
• The legacy OpenSSL-backed socket plugin is deprecated and opt-in. The Level B rxsocket library uses VM-backed socket instructions.

Packaging And Signing

Beta 2 uses the tag-driven package workflow for Linux, Windows x64, macOS arm64, and macOS x86_64. The release should be created from the Release 1 line as tag v1.0.0-beta.2. When the tag workflow completes, verify the exact assets attached to the v1.0.0-beta.2 release.

Expected beta 2 package shape:

• Linux x64: portable ZIP. The .deb package is being proven through the moving dev snapshot and remains prototype packaging until install/uninstall and dependency checks are complete.
• Windows x64: portable ZIP from CI, replaced or supplemented by the signed ZIP after the maintainer Windows signing flow has run. Prefer the signed ZIP when it is present. A click-through Windows installer is deferred to beta 3.
• macOS arm64 and x86_64: portable ZIPs plus signed, notarized, stapled .pkg installers when the Apple signing and notarization secrets are configured. The .pkg files are the recommended macOS end-user install path and open in the normal macOS Installer GUI when double-clicked.

Known Limitations

• This is still a beta of the Release 1 line. The Release 1 target remains end of August 2026.
• Level B is the main implemented language surface, but final Release 1 lockdown work is still pending.
• Level G is an initial library overlay, not a full separate language contract.
• Level C normal compilation is not part of the beta 2 contract.
• GPU integration and VM multithreading are not stable beta 2 features.
• Release package signing status, checksums, and final asset names must be checked against the actual beta 2 tag assets before final publication.

Related Notes

• Beta 1 release notes remain available at v1.0.0-beta.1.md.
• The Release 1 plan is tracked separately in ../release-1-plan.md.