Pie Charts in OresmeKit

OresmeKit, GAP's charting framework for GNUstep and Cocoa, got its first rudimental Pie Chart implementation.

Data colors, background and edges are customizable already, as a real OKChart implementation. The dataset is represented as the set of each first element of the series, so that for each the color can be specified, being the series color.

DataBasin development: logger and semi-joins

I am working on two long-needed features of DataBasin, the open source application to extract and inspect data from salesforce.com

The first feature is rather simple: a log window which shows some informative or debug output usually thrown to the console. While on standard Unix we always have the terminal emulator open and all debugging is very convenient there, on mac and especially on windows it is inconvenient: DataBasin logged every output as an Event in the windows log. Quite painful.

A much more complex, interesting and long awaited feature is that DataBasin now supports semi-joins! In other words, one can reference a field of a referenced object with the dot notation (like: Case.Account.Name) exactly as in the Salesforce.com Data Loader. The objects are recursively scanned and flattened so that they can be written to the CSV file. The column names are generated through the descent of the object tree.
This feature required a much more flexible approach in the CVS writer core. This means that some regression bugs could appear... hopefully not.

This feature applies to all queries, including the Select Identify query tool.

As the parser was being rewritten and the supported API bumped to 25, it is now improved to handle Aggregate Objects, thus one can now issue the following SOQL query:

select count(id), status from case group by status

and get the expected result:

"Status","expr0"
"New","16"
"Closed","31"

I hope these features make DataBasin much more useful!

NetBSD quick update guide

Since I always tend to forget and the documentation on the website is a bit incomplete, I sum up the procedure I use to update from source the kernel and userland:

Update /usr with cvs, create /usr/obj and /usr/tools (or clean its content).

As per documentation, build the tools. Inside /usr/src:

$ ./build.sh -O /usr/obj -T /usr/tools -U -u tools

Now build the kernel:

$ cd /usr/src
$ ./build.sh -O ../obj -T ../tools kernel=

Install it:

# mv /netbsd /netbsd.old
# mv /usr/obj/sys/arch/i386/compile//netbsd /

And now, important, build and install the modules:

# ./build.sh -O /usr/obj -T /usr/tools -U -u modules installmodules=/

Reboot and check that the kernel works. Then build and install userland:

$ ./build.sh -O ../obj -T ../tools -U -x distribution

# ./build.sh -O ../obj -T ../tools -U -u -x install=/ 

 Cross your fingers and happy BSD!

Grr 1.0 and RSSkit released

Grr 1.0, the RSS Reaseder, and its compantion framework RSSKit 0.4.0 were released on Friday.

PDFKit 0.9.2

PDFKit 0.9.2 released. Still based on xpdf 3.0.2, it solves several build problems. It now builds with clang and with current GNUstep. Portability to BSD's improved.

GWorkspace 0.9.1

I'm pleased to announce that GWorkspace 0.9.1 is out.


Some release highlights:

Enhancements / new features

• New Modern vs Classic style which control:
• classic vs. alpha-blended selection
• transparent dock vs classic dock style
• new "scale" attribute for the desktop, for uniform scaling
• Browser icons (Eric W.)

Fixes & Maintenance

• PDF Content Inspector fixed and updated
• NSUInteger updates for new APIs
• crash fix on exit when Grayscale background images were selected
• updates for integer positions and resolutions to avoid blurring of elements
• NSDragOperation updates

This release is highly recommended when compiling and running GWorkspace against the current GNUstep core release.

Terminal 0.9.8

Terminal 0.9.8 was released by the GNUstep Application Project. It is mainly a maintenance release to tix bugs, enhance portability to more platforms (including GNU/HURD and OpenBSD) and current GS core libraries.

GSPdf 0.5 released

GSPdf 0.5, the ghostscript front-end for GNUstep, suitable for PDF and PS viewing (and thus also as GS print preview application) was released on June 3rd.

DataBasin 0.5

I'm pleased to release DataBasin 0.5.

• quoted CVS support in reading
• support for reading DOS/UNIX/MAC file formats
• improved exception trapping and display
• fixed bugs in create and updates
• various fixes

Cynthiune running on Macintosh

Cynthiune is working again on the Mac! I was able to compile a limited set of bundles on Mac again! This is good because it also confirms that some of the latest playlist changes work fine!
I am unable to compile the ID3 Tag bundle for some weird compiler errors I don't get on any GNUstep machine, so I won't prepare a binary release.

Zipper 1.4

I'm happy to announce that yesterday the GNUstep Application Project released version 1.4 of Zipper. It was adopted by GAP in accordance with the original author and the license changed to GPL v2.

Zipper is an archive tool which allow viewing of various formats and creation of tarball (with GWorkspace Service).

What's new in this 1.4 release

• First version released by GAP
• Interface redone in Gorm
• Extensive fixes to BSD tar support
• Bug fixes in the handling of archiver outputs, options and dates
• Portability fixes and crash fixes
• Updated infrastructure to current GNUstep make and runtime
• Macintosh port (to prove portability)

Where to find it?

In the GAP project: http://gap.nongnu.org/zipper/index.html

Many thanks to Sebastian Reitenbach who contacted the original Author, Dirk Olmes, to make the move and who with Philippe Roussel helped during tested and debugging sessions

Cynthiune on Windows

During the revamp we of GAP are giving to Cynthiune, I revived today also the Windows port, look at how it is running on Windows 7... and yes, it plays really (something I am yet unabel to achieve on NetBSD...)

PRICE 1.1.0

PRICE 1.1.0 is out!

It has been a long hiatus, I essentially skipped a release and made two in one. What's new?

Curves: this was a lot of work (and will need more). Smooth way to correct highlights and shadows with an S-curve. Source and resulting histograms are displayed.

Bilinear filtering: scaling will now look better!

Minor tweaks to the interface, like the filters that on cancel while previewing or on GNUstep the convolve matrix reacting on end editing.

Furthermore a plethora of bug fixes and portability enhancements.

Get it here from SourceForce, in form of sources for all platforms (GNUstep or Cocoa) or as Macintosh binary.

It has been 10 years I've been working on PRICE. This is kind of an anniversary release. It has been a long time and it has been fun and I hope it will continue! But it is an amazing long time. There have been ups and downs, and some melancholy creeps in! I think I will blog more about some past and future ideas about GNUstep.

LaternaMagica 0.4

LaternaMagica 0.4 got released.


The Image viewer and slideshow tool for GNUstep (and your Macintosh).

Enjoy better navigation, keyboard shortcuts and better mass-exporting tool Enjoy it on more platforms too.

FTP 0.3 Released

FTP 0.3 got finally a release! Many small fixes in the build system, better portability and updates.

You can see it in the screenshot running on Windows 7 with the native windows theme!

GWorkspace dock

Now really transparent (if your backend supports it...)

DataBasin 0.4

0.4 is out!

Select Identify: Execute iteratively selects with given Ids or Unique Identifiers (no more Excel connector for this chore)

Select Http or Https as a preference for your connection (and it even works... http had a workaround due to sfdc stubborness which is now enabled only when necessary)

DataBasin at GAP

Neos 0.1 theme for GNUstep

Finally, the first official 0.1 release of the Neos theme. The theme contains now all the icons for the new special folders handled by GWorkspace, following thus the enhancements of the standard theme. You need both the latest GWorkspace and Base for all of them to appear properly.

Use the GNUstep filesystem layout (with the standard /usr/GNUstep or even / as a prefix) for maximum enjoyment. FHS has no real reason in a full GNUstep environment, in my opinion it should not be the default, it should just exist to ease people wanting to install one or two application in another environment.

Name your folders Documents, Images, Music, Downloads.

To have in idea of the look, check my past blog posts and you will see its evolution.

The end of an Aera

Jobs died. Now He was not only the father of the Macintosh, the iPod, iPhone and the iPad. he was also the father of NeXT and thus our guide too, our uncle or step-father.
He surely left a trace in computing. Let us keep his spirit alive in GNUstep

GWorkspace 0.9.0

GWorkspace 0.9.0 is out.

Custom icons for special folders (System, Library, Images, Music, Documents, Downloads, Desktop). Themable.

Volume recognition ported or improved on NetBSD, FreeBSD, OpenBSD.

Many fixes in the build system, crash & security fixes.