The history of xPack CMake
April 2020
The project was created in April 2020.
Initially it was considered that on Windows it is mandatory to
spawn processes via cmd.exe /c and a patch was applied for this
change. The decision was reversed in mid-2024.
September 2020
The first xPack CMake release was v3.18.3-1.
October 2021
In the Windows binaries, the MSVC runtime was replaced with the newer Universal C Runtime (UCRT) (in v3.20.6-1).
December 2021
Support for Apple Silicon macOS was added (in v3.20.6-2).
March 2022
Support for x86 Windows and x86 GNU/Linux (32-bit) was discontinued (in v3.21.6-1).
October 2022
The project received a significant update by transitioning the build scripts from the unwieldy monolithic XBB Docker images to the more flexible and modular xpm packages. XBB version 5.0.0 marked a major milestone for the xPack project, as it was the first self-sustained release. This version enabled the creation of new binary packages utilising existing binary packages, eliminating the need for bespoke Docker images or other compiled tools.
August 2024
The project underwent comprehensive restructuring. To streamline the top-level
package.json by presenting only user-related definitions whilst concealing
build-related ones, all build-related files were relocated to the
build-assets folder. Furthermore, the development Git branch was
renamed to xpack-development for enhanced clarity.
September 2024
The patch to spawn processes on Windows via cmd.exe /c was no longer applied
(in v3.28.6-1).
The direct consequence is that applications started via .cmd shim need to declare the .cmd extension explicitly (like ninja.cmd).