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DevelopmentThe HP Linux Imaging and Printing System Hewlett Packard has launched a new open-source Linux project that supports its printing, scanning, and digital camera products, HPLIP. HPLIP has been released under version 2 of the GNU General Public License.
Hewlett-Packard is proud to announce the initial release of HP Linux Imaging and Printing System (HPLIP). HPLIP is a complete single and multi-function printing device connectivity solution for users of Linux OS. The goal of this project is to provide "radically simple" printing, scanning, photo card access, and device management to the consumer and business Linux user.
HPLIP is part of the HP Linux Printing Project: "The HP driver project provides printing support for more than 300 printer models, including, DeskJet, OfficeJet, Photosmart, Business Inkjet and some LaserJet." The HPLIP feature list includes:
The HP Inkjet Driver Project Readme document goes into more information on the project. One interesting detail of the project is the smorgasbord of licenses used: "In general all applications are covered by the GNU General Public License (GPL) and the backend is covered by a MIT license. The printer driver HPIJS uses a BSD license." Dependencies include a Linux kernel at or above 2.4.19, GNU Ghostscript, Foomatic, Qt, PyQt, Python, CUPS, net-snmp, and most major Linux distributions. The initial (version 0.8.1) release was superseded by version 0.8.2, which fixes a number of newly discovered bugs. See the end of the Readme document for change details. The software configured and built with no problems on a (crusty old) Red Hat 9 system, the documentation on installation is up to date, but the usage information is still forthcoming, according to the README. HP should be commended for coming up with a genuine open-source solution for connecting their products to Linux, we hope the model encourages other companies to do the same.
System Applications Backup Software KDar 1.3.1 released Version 1.3.1 of KDar, a GUI-based backup utility, is out with bug fixes.
Database Software Firebird relational database releases The Firebird relational database project has announced version 1.5.2 Release Candidate 4 of Firebird, version 1.7 Beta 2 of the Firebird ADO.NET Data Provider, and version 1.5.5 of the Jaybird JDBC/JCA Driver.
GLOM 0.8.10 released Version 0.8.10 of GLOM, a database table definition GUI, is out with bug fixes, a new example document, and more.
PostgreSQL 8.0.0 Release Candidate 1 The first release candidate for PostgreSQL 8.0.0 is available for download on all mirrors. You can find the complete list of changes/improvement since Beta 5 was released here.
pgAdmin III 1.2.0 Released Version 1.2.0 of pgAdmin III, a cross-platform GUI PostgreSQL administration and management tool, is out. Changes include support for PostgreSQL 8.0.0, GUI improvements, query tool output to file, a new permissions grant tool, and much more.
Filesystem Utilities GParted 0.0.7 released Version 0.0.7 of GParted, the Gnome Partition Editor, has been released. Changes include official support of extfs 2/3, and reiserfs, ntfs support, detection of drives without labels, support for creation of unformatted partitions, and more.
Libraries Pango 1.7.0 released Unstable release 1.7.0 of Pango, a library for layout and rendering of text, is available. "The major change in this release is PangoRenderer, a base object holding the logic for rendering PangoLayout which was previously duplicated in many places. Also in this release, support has been added for the Lao and Syriac scripts."
Web Site Development BBClone 0.4.6 released Version 0.4.6 of BBClone, a PHP-based web counter, is out. Changes include a new look and feel, optional column display of last visited page and search engine queries, and a large translation update.
LDAP Server Administration with GOsa (O'Reilly) Alexander Prohorenko introduces GOsa in an O'Reilly article. "GOsa (GOnicus System Administrator) is a web administration tool for managing accounts and systems in LDAP databases, written in PHP and licensed under the GNU GPL. The author of GOsa is GONICUS GmbH, a German company. GOsa can manage users, groups, mail distribution lists, thin clients, and faxes. Users can retrieve information about themselves, use LDAP contact and telephone lists, change their passwords, and view fax statistics. Users can also configure their own mail accounts, but their configuration possibilities are limited."
mnoGoSearch 3.2.26 announced Version 3.2.26 of mnoGoSearch, a web site search engine, has been released. See the Change History document for details.
ZopeMag Weekly News The December 2, 2004 edition of the ZopeMag Weekly News is online with the latest Zope web development platform information.
Miscellaneous Logfmon 0.4 released (SourceForge) Version 0.4 of Logfmon, a log file monitoring utility, is available. "This version adds the ability to apply rules to several files rather than just one or all, support for testing entries against a regexp to not match as well as a regexp to match and a number of bug fixes."
Desktop Applications Calendar Software Mozilla Sunbird 0.2 beta Released Version 0.2 beta of Mozilla Sunbird, a redesigned Mozilla Calendar component, is available. "These builds have been dubbed as Sunbird 0.2beta. This means that these builds will be the basis for an upcoming Sunbird 0.2 release if we do not find any major regressions."
Desktop Environments GNOME 2.9.2 Development Release Version 2.9.2 of the GNOME Development Release is out. "Of special note in this release is the new 'gnome-menus' module, which you will need if you would like to have your... GNOME... menus. :-) It is a new XDG spec compliant menu system, brought to us by panel co-maintainer, Mark McLoughlin!"
KDE 3.3.2 released KDE 3.3.2 has been released. This release concentrates on bug fixes and translations; there's not much in the way of new applications or features. The release announcement has the details.
Preview of KDE 3.4 (OSDir.com) George Staikos gives a preview of KDE 3.4. "KDE 3.3.2 was tagged today, so we should see a new bug fix release of KDE in the first or second week of December. Earlier this past week, the plans for a KDE 3.4 release were also finalized. This will be the last major KDE 3 release before KDE 4. KDE 4 will make use of the Qt 4 library which promises to be quite a revolution for KDE and all Qt applications, but will break binary compatibility with previous releases. The release schedule for KDE 3.4 plans for an alpha release December 3, a beta release January 7, and a final release March 16 2005." Thanks to Steve Mallett.
KDE CVS-Digest (KDE.News) The December 3, 2004 edition of the KDE CVS-Digest is online. Here's the content summary: "KTTSD adds support for SSML /Sable. Kipi-Plugins implements remote gallery export of images. Kpdf adds watch file option. KOffice adds import support for PocketWord's PWD files. Speedups in KTTSD , kwin and khtml."
KDevelop TechNotes Issues #1 and #2 (KDE.News) KDE.News covers the launch of KDevelop TechNotes. The first article in the series, Browsing documentation with KDevAssistant and the second article RAD with KDevelop using C++/Qt/KDE are currently available.
GARNOME 2.9.2 is out Version 2.9.2 of GARNOME, the bleeding edge GNOME distribution, is out. "This release incorporates the GNOME 2.9.2 Desktop & Developer Platform, as well the usual assortment of third-party updates to keep even the most seasoned developer frustrated beyond belief."
Metacity 2.8.8 released Stable version 2.8.8 of Metacity, a simple window manager for GNOME 2, has been released with bug fixes.
Metacity 2.9.1 released Version 2.9.1 of Metacity, a simple window manager for GNOME 2, is out. "This is an unstable release heading towards Gnome 2.10, released a little late for Gnome 2.9.2 but there weren't many changes anyway this time..."
Electronics FreePCB 0.936 released The Open Collector Database site has an announcement for FreePCB version 0.936, a printed circuit CAD application. Here is the change note: "This fixes a few bugs, and adds the following new features: The "Generate CAM files" dialog now allows metric or English units Pins in footprints can now be given alphanumeric identifiers The layer list in the main window now shows an indicator for the active routing layer. The User Guide has been updated."
XCircuit 3.3.3 released Version 3.3.3 of XCircuit, an electronic schematic drawing application, is out. Here is the change notice: "Corrected a problem in which drawn subcircuits and subcircuits declared with an "X.." in the info label will share index numbers, by forcing SPICE output to generate a devname of "X" for each drawn subcircuit object. Also: Changed the behavior so that device numbering starts at zero, not one. Otherwise, if a device is numbered zero on the drawing (e.g., by having the index number entered by hand), xcircuit will generate a spurious "duplicate part" warning."
Financial Applications SQL-Ledger 2.4.6 released Version 2.4.6 of SQL-Ledger, a web-based double entry accounting system, is out. Changes include updated translations, a new window menu link, and bug fixes.
Games gnome-games 2.8.2 released Version 2.8.2 of gnome-games, a collection of games for the GNOME desktop, is out. "This is the third stable release of gnome-games in the 2.8 series. There are no new feature, only bug fixes and translation updates. Unless you are experiencing problems there is no need to upgrade."
skstream 0.3.3 released Version 0.3.3 of skstream, a C++ iostream based network library for the WorldForge game project, has been released. Changes include new methods for shutting down sockets, bug fixes, and code cleanup.
Building a 3D Engine in Perl (O'Reilly) Geoff Broadwell begins a series on 3d Gaming with Perl on O'Reilly. "This article is the first in a series aimed at building a full 3D engine. It could be the underlying technology for a video game, the visualization system for a scientific application, the walkthrough program for an architectural design suite, or whatever. "
GUI Packages GLib 2.4.8 released Stable version 2.4.8 of GLib, the low-level core library that forms the basis for projects such as GTK+ and GNOME, is out. "This is a bug fix release and is source and binary compatible with 2.4.0."
GTK+ 2.4.14 released Version 2.4.14 of GTK+, a multi-platform toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces, has been released. "This is a bug fix release and is source and binary compatible with 2.4.0."
gtkmm 2.5.2 announced Version 2.5.2 of gtkmm, the wrapper for the GTK+ API, is out with lots of API changes and improved documentation.
Gtk2-Perl 2.8.2 announced Stable version 2.8.2 of Gtk2-Perl is out. "Gtk2-Perl is the collective name for a set of Perl bindings for GTK+ 2.x and various related libraries. These modules make it easy to write GTK+ and GNOME applications using a natural, Perlish, object-oriented syntax."
Imaging Applications Eye of Gnome 2.8.2 bugfix release Bugfix release 2.8.2 of Eye of Gnome, an image viewer for the GNOME desktop, is available. "Recently a lot of crashes have been reported for Eye of Gnome into bugzilla. James Henstridge was so kind to fix some of these issues. f you noticed frequently crashes with Eye of Gnome please try out this release and see if it works for you."
Instant Messaging Gaim 1.1.0 Released (GnomeDesktop) Version 1.1.0 of Gaim, an instant messaging client, has been announced. "finaly they have removed the "switchboard" error :D." Other changes include fallback IRC encodings, a new MSN protocol icon, bug fixes, and more.
Konversation 0.15 Released (KDE.News) Version 0.15 of Konversation has been announced. "Konversation is a simple and easy to use IRC client. New features include a brand-new Kontact integration, better KDE HIG compliance, DCC rewritten with KIO, support for SSL IRC servers and much more!"
Interoperability Wine 20041201 released Release 20041201 of Wine has been announced. Changes include implementation of the RSAENH dll, work on the Direct3D 9 architecture, built-in debugger improvements, reorganization of the Developer's Guide, and bug fixes.
Mail Clients Evolution 2.0.3 is out Stable version 2.0.3 of Evolution, the GNOME mail client, is out with a bunch of bug fixes.
Thunderbird 1.0 released Thunderbird 1.0 is out; see the release notes for details and download links.
Office Suites OpenOffice.org 1.1.4rc announced OpenOffice.org 1.1.4rc is available. "It is the first release candidate for OpenOffice.org 1.1.4. The build includes bug fixes but no new features."
PDA Software Guikachu 1.5 (development) released Development version 1.5 of Guikachu, the GNOME Resource editor for PalmOS projects, is out. "This release is part of the 1.5 development branch, so it's all about crazy experimentations and not about providing a polished, well-tested product -- so don't quite replace your 1.4 Guikachu just yet. New in this release: Due to popular request, the ImageMagick dependancy has been dropped. All image handling is now done by either GdkPixbuf, or Guikachu's own internal functions."
Web Browsers Aviary Branch Landing Puts Firefox on the Road to 1.1 (MozillaZine) MozillaZine reports on the new Firefox Aviary branch. "Last week, the Aviary branch landed on the trunk, bringing the trunk builds of Mozilla Firefox into line with Firefox 1.0. The Aviary branch was cut from the 1.7 branch earlier this year, allowing Mozilla 1.8 development to continue on the trunk without the worry that radical changes (such as those made to Gecko) would adversely affect the stability of Firefox 1.0 and Thunderbird 1.0. Changes to core Mozilla components like Gecko were only checked into trunk and not the Aviary branch, while late-breaking Firefox 1.0 features (like the Find bar and the Plugin Finder Service) were only checked into the Aviary branch and not the trunk. Both Firefox 0.9 and 1.0 were released from the Aviary branch."
Word Processors AbiWord 2.2 Unleashed (GnomeDesktop) Version 2.2 of the AbiWord word processor has been announced. Here is an overview of new features:
Miscellaneous Coaster 0.1.3 announced Version 0.1.3 of Coaster, a CD burning application for GNOME, is out. Changes include code cleanup, a help skeleton, support for exporting to and burning from ISO images, bug fixes, and more.
gnome-panel 2.8.2 released Version 2.8.2 of gnome-panel, the applet bar on the edge of the GNOME desktop, is out. "This is the "Enfin un tableau de bord traduit" release: since the last stable release, a lot of translations were updated, thanks to the wonderful translator teams."
Languages and Tools Caml Caml Weekly News The December 7, 2004 edition of the Caml Weekly News is available. Topics include Functional Reactive Programming in OCaml?, Developing Applications with Objective CAML reviewed on Slashdot, and Tools module for the Standard Lib.
HTML Nvu 0.60 Released (MozillaZine) Version 0.60 of Nvu, an html editor, is available. "On the change list: a complete rewriting of the site manager and the rulers that solves many issues, and a lot of bug fixes".
Lisp CL-PPCRE 0.9.1 released Version 0.9.1 of CL-PPCRE is available. "Version 0.9.1 adds shortcuts for group registration. CL-PPCRE is a Perl-compatible, fast, portable regular expression library written in Common Lisp. The library also supports a sexp-based syntax for specifying regular expressions."
Casting SPELs in Lisp A new Lisp comic book is out. "Conrad Barski has written the comic book "Casting SPELs in Lisp". The book, which is intended for novices, is a Lisp tutorial with the goal of taking the reader to appreciate the most advanced features of the language, particularly macros."
Perl This Fortnight in Perl 6 The November 16-30, 2004 edition of This Fortnight in Perl 6 is out with the latest Perl 6 developments.
PostScript GGV 2.8.1 is out Version 2.8.1 of GGV, GNOME GhostView, is available: "the first bug-fix release in the 2.8 series, which is - besides being destined to update your wonderful 2.8 release of the fabulous Gnome desktop environment - also appropriate for the possible 2.9 development release that you might use to give you that feeling of living on the bleeding edge, never sure of what comes next."
Python SPE Tutorial A new tutorial is available for SPE (Stani's Python Editor). "Spe is a stable, full-featured python IDE with auto-indentation, auto completion, call tips, syntax coloring, syntax highlighting, class explorer, source index, auto todo list, sticky notes, integrated pycrust shell, python file browser, recent file browser, drag&drop, context help, ..."
Dr. Dobb's Python-URL! The December 2, 2004 edition of Dr. Dobb's Python-URL is online with the latest Python article links.
Py Magazine Issue 7 Issue #7 of Py Magazine is under construction. "We have just published the the third article and are busy working on more. Current articles are: "Taking advantage of COM with Python" (free), "Python on .NET", and "Python at both ends of the Web". Future articles will include "Click here: A GUI testing approach", "Docutils", "Using Python to create a mobile data collection system", and a review of the book "Dive into Python"."
Test-Driven Development in Python (O'Reilly) Jason Diamond discusses test-driven Python development on O'Reilly. "Test-driven development is not about testing. Test-driven development is about development (and design), specifically improving the quality and design of code. The resulting unit tests are just an extremely useful by-product. That's all I'm going to tell you about test-driven development. The rest of this article will show you how it works. Come work on a project with me; we'll build a very simple tool together. I'll make mistakes, fix them, and change designs in response to what the tests tell me."
Tcl/Tk Dr. Dobb's Tcl-URL! The December 1, 2004 edition of Dr. Dobb's Tcl-URL is online with another week's worth of Tcl/Tk articles and resources.
XML How to Create a REST Protocol (O'Reilly) Joe Gregorio introduces the REST architectural style on O'Reilly. "If you follow web services, then you may have heard of REST. REST is an architectural style that can be used to guide the construction of web services. Recently, there have been attempts to create such services that have met with mixed success. This article outlines a series of steps you can follow in creating your protocol--guidance that will help you get all the benefits that REST has to offer, while avoiding common pitfalls."
Introducing XML canonical form (IBM developerWorks) Uche Ogbuji discusses XML Canonicalization in an IBM developerWorks article. "XML is careful to separate details of a file or other data source, bit-by-bit, from the abstract model of an XML document. This can be an inconvenience when comparing two XML documents for equality -- either directly (for instance, as part of a test suite) or by comparing digital signatures for security purposes -- to determine whether an XML document has been tampered with in some way. The W3C addresses this problem with the XML Canonicalization spec (c14n), which defines a standard form for an XML document that is guaranteed to provide proper bit-wise comparisons and thus consistent digital signatures. In this article, Uche Ogbuji introduces XML Canonicalization."
Editors gedit 2.8.2 released Version 2.8.2 of gedit, a text editor for GNOME, is out with bug fixes and translation improvements.
IDEs KDevelop TechNotes Issue #3 (KDE.News) KDE.News summarizes the contents of issue 3 of the KDevelop TechNotes: "Improved Ruby programming language support with Qt Designer integration and Ruby debugger is considered as the "killer" feature of upcoming KDevelop 3.2. Therefore this issue describes new "hot" features, discusses RAD using Ruby language and Qt/KDE libraries and lays stress on integrated GUI design with KDevelop Designer."
Profilers Valgrind 2.2.0: Memory Debugging and Profiling (Linux Journal) Reg. Charney demonstrates a Valgrind profiling session in a Linux Journal article. "Memory and performance problems plague most of us, but tools are available that can help. One of the best, most powerful and easiest to use is Valgrind. One thing stands out when you use Valgrind--you do not need to recompile, relink or modify your source code."
Page editor: Forrest Cook |
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