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Development
Introducing Sphinx, the Python documentation toolchain
The first public release of the Python Sphinx documentation system, which should not be confused with the CMU Sphinx speech recognition project, has been announced.
![[Python Sphinx]](/images/ns/PythonSphinxlogo.png)
Sphinx is a tool that makes it easy to create intelligent and beautiful documentation for Python projects, written by Georg Brandl and licensed under the BSD license.
It was originally created to translate the new Python documentation, but has now been cleaned up in the hope that it will be useful to many other projects. (Of course, this site is also created from reStructuredText
sources using Sphinx!)
The Sphinx introduction states: "The focus is on hand-written documentation, rather than auto-generated API docs. Though there is limited support for that kind of docs as well (which is intended to be freely mixed with hand-written content), if you need pure API docs have a look at Epydoc, which also understands reST."
An interesting feature of the Sphinx web pages is the inclusion of their own document source code. The document source code from the previously mentioned Sphinx introduction page is a good place to go to get a look at the reStructuredText language that Sphinx uses. More information on that language can be found in the A ReStructuredText Primer, the Quick reStructuredText user reference and the reStructuredText Cheat Sheet.
The Sphinx feature list includes:
- Cross-platform, works under a variety of operating systems.
- Support for the HTML, Windows HTML Help, and LaTeX output formats.
- Can use Jinja from the Django project for creating HTML templates.
- Includes semantic markup and automatic links for cross-referencing.
- The documentation tree is hierarchically structured.
- Indexes are automatically generated.
- Sphinx can optionally use the Pygments programming language syntax highlighter.
- Supports a number of extensions for code snippet testing and more.
The Python source code and related files for Sphinx are available for download here. The change log shows that a number of recent releases have been made. As of this writing, the current version is release 0.1.61950, dated March 26, 2008.
If you need to maintain a collection of web-based or print-based project documentation, Sphinx could be a very useful tool.
System Applications
Database Software
Postgres Weekly News
The March 23, 2008 edition of the Postgres Weekly News is online with the latest PostgreSQL DBMS articles and resources.
Embedded Systems
BusyBox 1.10.0 is out
Unstable version 1.10.0 of BusyBox, a collection of command line utilities for embedded systems, has been announced. Click below for a list of new features and bug fixes.
Telecom
The Free Telephony Project announces Blackfin port
The Free Telephony Project has announced an Alpha FreePBX port for Blackfin Asterisk. "The goal of this project is to provide free hardware designs for telephone systems. Both the hardware and software are open. You are free to copy, modify and re-use the hardware designs. The hardware for a complete embedded Asterisk IP PBX (including multiple analog ports or a T1/E1) can be built for a few hundred dollars. No PC required! Our first product is the IP04. The IP04 is a low cost phone system that can switch phone calls from analog phones or phone lines over the Internet using VoIP. The IP04 is a professionally designed product that is in volume production today".
Web Site Development
Web Console: 0.2 beta released (SourceForge)
Version 0.2 beta of Web Console has been announced. "Web Console is a web-based application that allows remote users to execute UNIX/Windows shell commands on a server directly from a browser. Web Console is open source software written on Perl using AJAX technology - it is very light, beautiful and easy. Web Console 0.2 beta has been released – that is a first public release of the Web Console."
Desktop Applications
Desktop Environments
GNOME Software Announcements
The following new GNOME software has been announced this week:- Beagle and Libbeagle 0.3.4 (new features, bug fixes and translation work)
- cairo snapshot 1.5.14 (new features and API change)
- Conduit 0.3.9 (new features, bug fixes and translation work)
- gswitchit-plugins 0.8 (new feature)
- Hotwire 0.721 (new features and bug fixes)
- Libgda 3.99.2 (bug fixes)
- libgnomekdb 2.22.0 (new features and translation work)
- Metacity 2.23.3 (bug fixes and translation work)
- nemiver 0.5.1 (new features, bug fixes and translation work)
KDE Software Announcements
The following new KDE software has been announced this week:- AI 20080321 (migration to PerlKDE)
- ALSA MIDI Kommander 0.3.1 (bug fix)
- Date Time Functions 0.1 (initial release)
- first4 1.4-beta2 (new features and bug fixes)
- Havekk's Amaork Announcer 0.1 (initial release)
- indywiki 0.9.8 (new features and bug fixes)
- Jukebox3D 0.6.0 (new features)
- KMetronome 0.8.1 (bug fixes)
- KMetronome 0.8.2 (bug fix)
- KMidimon 0.5.1 (new feature and bug fix)
- KMyMoney 0.8.9 (new feature)
- Kommander OpenWithDlg 0.1 (initial release)
- Kommander TimeWidget 0.2 (unspecified)
- KontaktDB / ContactDataBank 1.0.0.6a (new feature)
- Konvert2Ogg 0.2 (initial release)
- Krusader 1.90.0 (new features, bug fixes and translation work)
- KSplasher 0.9.8 beta (new features and bug fixes)
- ktikz 0.6 (new features and bug fixes)
- KTorrent 3.0.1 (bug fixes)
- LilyKDE 0.4.7 (new feature)
- LilyKDE 0.4.9 (new feature and license change)
- Minirok 0.9 (unspecified)
- PeaZip 2.0 (new features and bug fixes)
- Qtractor 0.1.2 (new features and bug fixes)
- Send torrent to MLdonkey 1.0 (initial release)
- Slax Tools 080318 (new features, documentation and translation work)
- TaskSwitch 0.2 (bug fixes)
- Twitter Client(Qt) 0.1 (initial release)
- webKam 0.2 (new features and code cleanup)
- Zhu3D 4.0.2 (new features, bug fixes and translation work)
Xorg Software Announcements
The following new Xorg software has been announced this week:- xf86-input-calcomp 1.1.2 (bug fix)
- xf86-input-digitaledge 1.1.1 (build change)
- xf86-input-dmc 1.1.2 (remove call to xf86XInputSetSendCoreEvents)
- xf86-input-dynapro 1.1.2 (remove call to xf86XInputSetSendCoreEvents)
- xf86-input-elographics 1.2.0 (bug fixes)
- xf86-input-fpit 1.2.0 (build change, remove call to xf86IsCorePointer)
- xf86-input-hyperpen 1.2.0 (build change)
- xf86-input-jamstudio 1.2.0 (build change)
- xf86-input-keyboard 1.3.0 (bug fixes and documentation work)
- xf86-input-magellan 1.2.0 (build change)
- xf86-input-microtouch 1.2.0 (build change, remove call to xf86XInputSetSendCoreEvents)
- xf86-input-mouse 1.3.0 (bug fixes and documentation work)
- xf86-input-mutouch 1.2.0 (build change)
- xf86-input-palmax 1.2.0 (build change)
- xf86-input-penmount 1.3.0 (build change)
- xf86-input-summa 1.2.0 (build change)
- xf86-input-tek4957 1.2.0 (build change)
- xf86-input-vmmouse 12.5.0 (bug fixes and build change)
- xf86-video-amd 2.7.7.7 (new features and bug fixes)
- xf86-video-dummy 0.3.0 (build change)
- xf86-video-intel 2.2.99.901 (new features and bug fixes)
- xf86-video-voodoo 1.2.0 (bug fixes, documentation work and build change)
xsel 1.2.0 released
Version 1.2.0 of xsel, a command-line utility for modifying the X selection buffer, has been announced. "This is a maintenance release, improving argument handling, documentation and X11 library detection."
Electronics
GNU Radio Release 3.1.2 available for download
Release 3.1.2 of GNU Radio, a software-defined radio system, has been announced. "Release 3.1.2 is a feature and maintenance release, incorporating numerous bug fixes and new functionality."
Encryption Software
GnuPG 2.0.9 released
Version 2.0.9 of the GnuPG encryption system has been announced, it features some new capabilities and bug fixes. "The GNU Privacy Guard (GnuPG) is GNU's tool for secure communication and data storage. It can be used to encrypt data, create digital signatures, help authenticating using Secure Shell and to provide a framework for public key cryptography."
Semeir: 2.4.7 Released (SourceForge)
Version 2.4.7 of Semeir has been announced. "Semeir is a Encryption algorythmn, Capable of Stream and block encryption. It is written in pure C. It is platform independant, and is promising for Embedded systems. Intended as an alternate, yet secure data encryption cipher. It has been a long few years since I originally submitted Semeir. Starting its humble 1.0.0 that I was never released, to the 2.1.3 that some have tried out. I apologize for taking so long to release the next version, which was not ready until now; requiring a near complete re-write of some functions, and addition of new functions. As well as pre-built functions that are ready to use, when linked with Zlib."
Financial Applications
SQL-Ledger 2.8.14 released
Version 2.8.14 of SQL-Ledger, a web-based accounting system, has been announced, it adds one new feature and some bug fixes.
Games
Games for Eclipse: version 3.2 released (SourceForge)
Version 3.2 of Games for Eclipse has been announced, it includes several bug fixes. "The goal of the project is to provide implementations of different games as plugins for Eclipse IDE (www.eclipse.org project)."
Graphics
Fraqtive: 0.4.0 Released (SourceForge)
Beta version 0.4.0 of Fraqtive, a Mandelbrot family fractal generator, has been announced. "A new version of Fraqtive is available. It has a completely new generator engine with support for SSE2, multi-core processors, different variants of fractals and many optimizations for almost real-time user experience. Also the user interface has been completely redesigned and rewritten using Qt4 to make Fraqtive available for both Linux and Windows platforms."
Interoperability
Wine 0.9.58 released
Version 0.9.58 of Wine has been announced. Changes include: The default version is now Windows XP, Many Richedit improvements, Beginning of jscript dll support, Shell folders now respect XDG directory configuration, Many translation updates and Lots of bug fixes.
Multimedia
HOgg 0.4.0 released
Version 0.4.0 of HOgg, a command line tool for manipulating Ogg files, is out. "This is the third public release. The focus is on correctness of Ogg parsing, production and editing. The capabilities of the hogg commandline tool are roughly on par with those of the oggz* tools."
Office Applications
Chandler Desktop 0.7.5 released
Version 0.7.5 of Chandler Desktop has been announced. "The Chandler Project is an open source, standards-based information manager designed for personal use and small group collaboration. The 0.7.5 release of Chandler Desktop simplifies the Chandler UI by changing elements confusing to new users. In particular, multiple toolbar buttons were removed, "tasks" were replaced with "starred items", the "triage" button was renamed to "clean up", and the items created when first starting have been made more useful. The sidebar list of collections can now be reordered by dragging them in-place. A variety of build/packaging and platform-specific bugs have also been fixed."
Miscellaneous
PyKeylogger: 1.0.1 released. (SourceForge)
Version 1.0.1 of PyKeylogger has been announced. "PyKeylogger is a simple keylogger written in python. It is primarily designed for backup purposes, but can be used as a stealth keylogger, too. It does not raise any trust issues, since it is a set of [relatively] short python scripts that you can easily examine. This is a bugfix release. Properly account for relative path names in ini settings and cli arguments by detecting full path location of program. Some about dialog prettification also took place."
Languages and Tools
Caml
Caml Weekly News
The March 25, 2008 edition of the Caml Weekly News is out with new articles about the Caml language.
Java
JOSSO: Single Sign-On 1.7 Released (SourceForge)
Version 1.7 of JOSSO has been announced. "JOSSO - Java Open Single Sign-On - is an open source J2EE-based SSO infrastructure aimed to provide a solution for centralized platform neutral user authentication and authorization. For more information contact our website at : http://www.josso.org The JOSSO Single Sign-on Project 1.7 release is out, bringing fully transparent single sign-on to BEA WebLogic 9 and Apache Geronimo 2 application servers, extending as well its interoperability span to generic JEE web container such as Jetty. As part of this release, a brand new Ajax user management application comes built-in for enabling out-of-the-box account provisioning."
Perl
Parrot 0.6.0 released
Version 0.6.0 of Parrot, a virtual machine aimed at running dynamic languages, has been announced. "This release is a milestone release featuring the revamping of Parrot Magic Cookies."
This Week on perl5-porters (use Perl)
The March 9-15, 2008 edition of This Week on perl5-porters is out with the latest Perl 5 news.
Spring 2008 edition of The Perl Review
The spring 2008 edition of The Perl Review is available. Topics include: Compiling My Own perl, FMTIEWTK About Closures, Expecting Perl, Perl and Undecidability and The Year in Perl, 2007.
Python
Python-URL! - weekly Python news and links
The March 18, 2008 edition of the Python-URL! is online with a new collection of Python article links.
Tcl/Tk
Tcl-URL! - weekly Tcl news and links
The March 23, 2008 edition of the Tcl-URL! is online with new Tcl/Tk articles and resources.
Libraries
Pantheios: 1.0.1 (beta 112) released (SourceForge)
Version 1.0.1 beta 112 of Pantheios has been announced, it includes a change to standard UNIX convention lib prefixes in the makefiles. "Pantheios is an Open Source C/C++ Logging API library, offering an optimal combination of 100% type-safety, efficiency, genericity and extensibility. It is simple to use and extend, highly-portable (platform and compiler-independent) and, best of all, it upholds the C tradition of you only pay for what you use."
Version Control
Bazaar 1.3 released
Version 1.3 of the Bazaar version control system has been announced. "Since 1.2, we've improved the speed of several important operations, including log, annotate, and other operations on revision history. Several bugs have been fixed and new options and features have been added, including an option to hardlink files between working trees."
Mercurial 1.0 released
The 1.0 release of the Mercurial source code management system has been announced. Mercurial has been in production use in some time, but this release adds a number of new features and performance improvements anyway; see the announcement for details.
Page editor: Forrest Cook
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