Announcing Mini Micro 1.2.1
Tags: miniscript, minimicro, announcement, programming
Published: 2024-04-03 16:00:04

I'm delighted to announce the official release of version 1.2.1 of Mini Micro, the neo-retro virtual home computer!

![Animated Mini Micro demo GIF](https://miniscript.org/MiniMicro/img/asteroids.gif)

Download it now from https://miniscript.org/MiniMicro/, then read on to learn what's new!

## New Content

- new methods in the /sys/lib modules, including stringUtil, listUtil, and matrixUtil

- new TD (tower defense) playable game in /sys/demo
![screen shot of TD demo](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ng3ld0utnru4modfxtvh.png)

- new images and sounds in /sys/lib/pics and /sys/lib/sounds

- fatBits demo now uses FileDialog to load an image, so you don't have to remember and correctly type a path

- various other minor fixes to code on the /sys disk

## Bug Fixes & New Features

- updated the MiniScript core language from 1.6.1 to 1.6.2, which adds an `intrinsics` map among [many other things](https://miniscript.org/files/MiniScript-Release-Notes.txt)

- fixed an issue with handling multi-key inputs (as are often needed for accented characters)

- fixed an issue with copy/paste in the console on Windows and Linux

- added Control+K and Control+U at the prompt to clear your input to the end or beginning, respectively

- the `view` command now supports zooming images in and out

- frame rate produced by frequently calling `yield` is now fixed at 60 fps, rather than being dependent on your monitor refresh rate

## Better Web Page

Along with the updated app, the Mini Micro web page got an extensive long-needed overhaul.

![Screen shot of the new Mini Micro web page](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ujjctw6fmpmnwje5n7g7.png)

It now features five tabs across the top:

- **[About](https://miniscript.org/MiniMicro/#about)** gives a quick introduction to Mini Micro, including its technical specs and the [promo video](https://youtu.be/WpA9ziwtsO8).

- **[Download](https://miniscript.org/MiniMicro/#download)** provides big, clear buttons for downloading Mini Micro on each platform.

- **[Play Now](https://miniscript.org/MiniMicro/#playnow)** provides the online web runner, along with some basic commands to try.  It's also where you land if you click one of the "Play Now" programs on the Games/Apps tab!

- **[Learn](https://miniscript.org/MiniMicro/#learn)** provides links to various websites and learning materials, including the MiniScript books.

- **[Games/Apps](https://miniscript.org/MiniMicro/#programs)** is the most exciting addition — as in the screen shot above, this provides a grid of Mini Micro programs, with a name, screen shot, and short description of each.  Clicking these thumbnails takes you to the project web page, or if it's a built-in demo, then it switches to the **Play Now** tab and runs the demo — complete with some instructions!

We'll continue to refine and improve the user experience here in the months to come, including ways to filter and sort the programs grid.  (And when you develop a cool Mini Micro game or app, be sure to let me know so I can add it to the list!)

## More Coming Soon!

A lot of things have been on the back burner while I wrapped up this Mini Micro update.  Now that it's done, here are some of the things that will now move forward again:

- an update to the [Farmtronics](https://github.com/JoeStrout/Farmtronics) mod for Stardew Valley, to be more compatible with the latest version of the game
- rebuilding the Try-It! page using [MiniScript Web-Term](https://github.com/sebnozzi/miniscript-web-term)
- building more Mini Micro-ish functionality into that, so it can be a viable alternative to a Mini Micro web build when you want to make an HTML5 game

In addition, we're currently in talks with the organizers of [Micro Jam](http://www.microgamejam.com/), a great biweekly game jam.  We're hoping to partner with them in some exciting ways, which will provide fun, recurring opportunities for MiniScript devs to flex their skills!  Stay tuned here for more details on that.

So what are you waiting for?  [Download Mini Micro](https://miniscript.org/MiniMicro/#download) now and get hacking!