Development
Visualize Chemistry with GAMGI
GAMGI, the General Atomistic Modelling Graphic Interface, is a tool for visualizing atomic structures. The project is supported by the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal, and is being developed by José Carlos Pereira and others. The software has been released under the GPL, BSD, and GFDL licenses.![[GAMGI]](https://static.lwn.net/images/ns/gamgi1.png)
The project's scientific goals state:
GAMGI aims to be useful for: 1) the scientific community working in Atomistic Modelling, that needs a graphic interface to build input data and to view and analyse output data, calculated with Ab-Initio and Molecular Mechanics programs; 2) the scientific community at large, studying Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science, Geology, etc., that needs a graphic interface to view and analyse atomic structural information and to prepare images for presentations in classes and seminars; 3) teaching chemistry and physics in secondary schools and universities, even inviting students to install and run GAMGI at home; 4) science promotion, in schools, exhibitions and science museums.
![[GAMGI]](https://static.lwn.net/images/ns/gamgi2.png)
GAMGI can plot the following list of objects:
"Text, Orbital, Bond, Atom, Direction, Plane, Group, Molecule, Cluster, Cell, Arrow, Shape, Graph, Assembly, Light, Layer and Window.
"
The GAMGI screen shots give a view of the user interface as well as a wide variety of chemical plots performed by GAMGI.
The
technical mission discusses the GAMGI design philosophy and covers some
of the system requirements and dependencies:
"A really useful package must be easy to obtain, to compile, to use and to change, giving users and developers as much control as possible.
"
Version 0.11.2 of GAMGI was released this week, changes include:
"Crystallographic planes can now be represented by polygons, for all volumes, with minor restrictions. The Cell orientation in a Spherical volume is now the same as for Conventional, Primitive, Wigner-Seitz cell volumes.
"
The change log file has more details and previews some upcoming features.
The GAMGI source code and packages for Debian and SUSE are available here.
System Applications
Libraries
libannodex 0.7.1 Release
Version 0.7.1 of libannodex, a library which provides an interface for reading and writing Annodex media, is available. Changes include a new anx_importer_find() API call and more.libfishsound 0.7.0 Released
Version 0.7.0 of libfishsound, a library with utilities for decoding and encoding the Vorbis and Speex audio formats, is out. Changes include several backported features from the development trunk.
Web Site Development
FCKeditor 2.0 released (SourceForge)
Version 2.0 of FCKeditor, an online DHTML text editor, has been announced. "It's XHTML compliant and works with Firefox, Mozilla, Netscape and IE. After a long and delicate development path, this is the final release of version 2.0. Now the editor is even more stable. Lots of key bugs have been fixed and a few and exiting new features has been added like native Flash support."
Five 1.1b released
Version 1.1b of Five, a Zope 2 product that allows you to integrate Zope 3 technologies into Zope 2, has been announced. Changes include Zope 3-style i18n, Zope 3 to Zope 2 interface bridging, and more standard ZCML directives.MediaWiki 1.4.7 released (SourceForge)
Version 1.4.7 of MediaWiki, the collaborative editing software that runs the Wikipedia online encyclopedia, is available with bug fixes.Midgard 1.7rc2 released
Version 1.7 rc 2 of Midgard, a web content management system, is out with several new features.Wicket 1.0.1 released (SourceForge)
Version 1.0.1 of Wicket is out with bug fixes and other improvements. "Wicket is a Java web application framework that takes simplicity, separation of concerns and ease of development to a whole new level. Wicket pages can be mocked up, previewed and later revised using standard WYSIWYG HTML design tools. Dynamic content processing and form handling is all handled in Java code using a first-class component model backed by POJO data beans that can easily be persisted using your favourite technology."
Desktop Applications
Audio Applications
gtkpod V0.94.0 Released (SourceForge)
Version 0.94.0 of gtkpod, a graphical front-end for the iPod that uses GTK2, is available. "New features include the stable sorting of displayed tracks (click several headers in order and have the view sorted accordingly) and the sort-ignore-lists (ignore the 'the' at the start of albums...). If you speak Hebrew, you will probably welcome the new Hebrew translation catalog. More important for some users may be the support for iTunes 4.9 and firmware 3.1 released by Apple at the end of last month. Podcasts are still not supported, however."
iPodder 2.0 for linux released (SourceForge)
Version 2.0 of iPodder has been announced. "iPodder is a media aggregator which automatically downloads files to your computer or portable device, leaving you 'one-click-away' from latest media feeds. Based on the iPodder idea of Adam Curry. Thanks to much effort by Scott Grayban, the iPodder "Lemon Edition" team is pleased to announce the release of iPodder 2.0 for Linux." See the release notes for change information.
QjackCtl 0.2.18 released
Version 0.2.18 of QjackCtl, a GUI control interface to the Jack Audio Connection Kit (JACK) is out with bug fixes.
CAD
BRL-CAD 7.4.0 released (SourceForge)
Version 7.4.0 of BRL-CAD, a constructive geometry solid modeling system, has been announced. "This release of BRL-CAD includes, among many new and improved features, the following enhancements since the last announcement (7.4.0 and 7.2.6 enhancements): the addition of an impressive high-performance triangle path-tracer, a completely rewritten rtarea tool for computing exposed and presented surface areas, benchmark suite enhancements, installation of a benchmark tool, and the inclusion of example geometry in the installation."
Data Visualization
PyX 0.8 released
Version 0.8 of the Python graphics package PyX is available. "PyX now supports PDF output and also the generation of multi-page PS/PDF documents. The internals of the path system have been cleaned up and the external interface has been streamlined. The axis data handling of the graph component has undergone a major revision. Many other improvements and bug fixes are included in this release."
Desktop Environments
GNOME 2.11.5 Development Release
Development Release 2.11.5 of the GNOME desktop is available for testing. "This is the first actual 2.11 release, (and it's late. The release team apologizes), though garnome and ubuntu breezy (without GTK+ 2.7) have been shipping previous versions. So it's even more important now that people test this as much as possible."
GNOME Software Announcements
The following new GNOME software has been announced this week:- duty-roaster 0.0.79.94 (new features and bug fixes)
- Epiphany 1.7.2 (new features and bug fixes)
- Evolution 2.3.5 (new features and bug fixes)
- GARNOME Weekly Build 20050714.1730 (bug fixes and other improvements)
- GARNOME Weekly Build 20050715.1850 (bug fixes)
- GARNOME 2.11.5 (new features)
- gcalctool v5.6.24 (bug fixes and translation work)
- GLib 2.7.3 (unstable development release)
- gnome-games 2.10.2 (bug fixes and translation work)
- gnome-games 2.11.2 (feature-freeze release)
- GnomePython 2.11.3 (bug fixes)
- gnome-utils 2.11.2 (bug fixes and translation work)
- GTK+ 2.7.3 (unstable development release)
- libgda/libgnomedb 1.3.4 (bug fixes and translation work)
- Marlin 0.8 (new features and bug fixes)
- Marlin 0.9 (build fixes)
- Mergeant 0.61 (dependency changes)
- OnTV 1.2 (new features and translation work)
- Zenity 2.11.1 (code cleanup and translation work)
KDE Software Announcements
The following new KDE software has been announced this week:- KDbg 2.0.0 (stable release, new features)
This Month in SVN (KDE.News)
KDE.News has announced the July 2005 edition of This Month in SVN. "New features include recursive functions in KTurtle, asthetic enhancements in Kalzium, the eye-candy that is SuperKaramba and Konqueror's improved search box."
Desktop Publishing
LyX 1.3.6 is released
Version 1.3.6 of LyX, a GUI front-end for the TeX typesetting application, is out with bug fixes and newly added native support for Windows.Scribus 1.3.0 released
Scribus 1.3.0 has been released. This version is called a "technology preview," but is said to be "stable and usable." Enhancements include a new undo system, table-of-contents generation, a "pre-flight verifier" for printing and PDF exports, facing page support, ports to your favorite proprietary platform, and more; click below for the full announcement.
Electronics
Signs version 0.5.0 released
Version 0.5.0 of Signs is available. "Signs is a logic synthesis tool and gate level simulator for circuit descriptions in VHDL and other hardware description languages. Besides that, Signs contains modern fault simulators and automatic test pattern generators for computer aided testing of integrated circuits."
XCircuit 3.3.25 released
Version 3.3.25 of XCircuit, an electronic schematic drawing package, is out. This release adds patches from the SourceForge repository.
Financial Applications
SQL_Ledger version 2.4.14 is out
Version 2.4.14 of SQL_Ledger, a web-based accounting system is out. Changes include new keyboard access keys for POS, new focus capabilities, bug fixes, and more.
Games
Auctioneer 3.0.10 has been released (SourceForge)
Version 3.0.10 of the game Auctioneer has been announced, it features bug fixes and performance improvements. "Auctioneer is an interface addon to the World of Warcraft (TM) game. Auctioneer enhances the WoW interface by adding additional information to the tooltips in the game that allow you to see additional information on the value of items in the game."
Pioneers 0.9 released (SourceForge)
Version 0.9 of Pioneers is available. "Pioneers is a clone of the board game The Settlers of Catan. The new version includes a map editor, a stronger computer player and new maps."
The return of PyGame
The PyGame (Python Game) project has re-emerged. There are several new games available, a PyWeek Game Programming Challenge, and more.
Mail Clients
Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0.5 Released (MozillaZine)
Version 1.0.5 of the Mozilla Thunderbird email client has been announced. "This latest release is a minor update to the standalone mail and news program that fixes some security issues and improves stability. It is recommended for all 1.0.x users as an essential upgrade and can be downloaded from the Thunderbird product page or the 1.0.5 directory on ftp.mozilla.org."
Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0.6 Released (MozillaZine)
Version 1.0.6 of the Mozilla Thunderbird email client has been announced. "This latest version should resolve the extension problems that were accidentally introduced in Thunderbird 1.0.5. In particular, the popular Enigmail PGP add-on should now work correctly."
Mozilla Thunderbird 1.1 Alpha 2 Released (MozillaZine)
The Alpha 2 release of Mozilla Thunderbird, an email client, is available for testing. "Alpha 2 contains many bug fixes and improvements to the new features which were introduced in the first alpha including the ability to create message filter actions for forwarding and replying (with a template), exporting RSS feeds, handling .eml files, and a new software update system (currently disabled)."
Music Applications
E-Radium V0.61b
Version 0.61b of E-Radium, a midi music editor that runs under the E-Uae Amiga emulator, is out. "This version of E-Uae is a hacked version of 0.28cvs, which runs with realtime priority to get accurate timing and supports alsa-seq to access midi. It does not hog the cpu as much as e-uae does either so it can be used together with various sound synthesis software running simultaniously in linux."
NoteEdit 2.8.0 Final released
Version 2.8.0 Final of NoteEdit, a music score editor, is available. "The NoteEdit team is glad to announce the first major-version since its new beginning!" A long list of changes is included.
Office Suites
OpenOffice.org 1.1.5 Release Candidate Is Here
The first release candidate of OpenOffice.org 1.1.5 is available for testing. "What's important about 1.1.5rc? It includes numerous bug fixes but just as important includes a filter for OpenDocument files, which is the type that OpenOffice.org 2.0 and the 1.9.x releases create."
OpenOffice.org build 1.9.116 is out
Build 1.9.116 of OpenOffice.org has been released. Numerous changes are included, click below for the details.
Web Browsers
Firefox 1.0.6 Candidate Builds Available (MozillaZine)
MozillaZine has announced the availability of Firefox 1.0.6 candidate builds. "Marcia Knous writes: "The Mozilla Quality Assurance team is requesting help from the community to test the 1.0.6 builds. Please visit the post in the QA blog to get more information regarding the testing.""
Mozilla Firefox 1.0.6 Released (MozillaZine)
MozillaZine has an announcement for the release of Mozilla Firefox 1.0.6. "As we reported previously, API changes in last week's Firefox 1.0.5 broke some extensions. This version should resolve the problems."
Mozilla 1.7.9 Release Candidates Available (MozillaZine)
MozillaZine has announced the availability of Mozilla 1.7.9 release candidates. "Mozilla 1.7.9 is a minor update to the Mozilla Application Suite with fixes for some security issues."
Minutes of the mozilla.org Staff Meeting (MozillaZine)
The minutes from the July 11, 2005 Mozilla.org staff meeting have been announced. "Issues discussed include Mozilla Firefox 1.0.5, Deer Park Alpha 2, the new application update system, 1.1 Beta 1 planning, server transitions, international domain names (IDN), hiring new employees and the news server."
Languages and Tools
C
GCC 4.1 stage 2 has been closed
Stage 2 of the Gnu Compiler Collection version 4.1 has been closed. "The following projects were contributed during stage 1 and stage 2: New C Parser, LibAda GNATTools Branch, Code Sinking, Improved phi-opt, Structure Aliasing, Autovectorization Enhancements, Hot and Cold Partitioning, SMS Improvements, Integrated Immediate Uses, Tree Optimizer Cleanups, Variable-argument Optimization, Redesigned VEC API, IPA Infrastructure, Altivec Rewrite Warning Message Control, New SSA Operand Cache Implementation, Safe Builtins, Reimplementation of IBM Pro Police Stack Detector, New DECL hierarchy."
Caml
Caml Weekly News
The July 19, 2005 edition of the Caml Weekly News is online with new Caml language articles. Topics include: pftdbns 0.2.6, AS/Xcaml status, Pattern Matching Papers, OMake 0.9.6 and Idea for another type safe PostgreSQL interface.
Java
GNU Classpath 0.17 released
Developer snapshot version 0.17 of GNU Classpath, a set of free essential libraries for java, is out. "This is mainly a bug fix release for issues found with eclipse 3.1 and Free Swing applications just after our 0.16 release. But it also includes some exciting new features."
Taking JUnit Out of the Box (O'ReillyNet)
Amir Shevat looks at JUnit in an O'Reilly article. "There are many tools designed to help up test, analyze, and debug programs. One of the most well-known tools is JUnit, a framework that helps software and QA engineers test units of code. Almost everyone that encounters JUnit has a strong feeling about it: either they like it or they don't. One of the main complaints about JUnit is that it lacks the ability to test complex scenarios."
Perl
This Week in Perl 6 (O'Reilly)
The July 14, 2005 edition of This Week in Perl 6 is out with the latest Perl 6 language news.
PHP
PHP 5.1 Beta 3 Available
Version 5.1 Beta 3 of PHP has been announced. New features include the addition of PHP Data Objects, better language performance, version 5.0 of the PCRE extension, bug fixes, and more.PHP Weekly Summary for July 11, 2005
The PHP Weekly Summary for July 11, 2005 is out. Topics include: Reference counting bug in libxml2; namespace proposal; date/timezone classes; signal blocking proposal; gone to Siberia; column length in PDO_MYSQL; a mad week in CVS; and safemode permissions patch.PHP Weekly Summary for July 18, 2005
The PHP Weekly Summary for July 18, 2005 is out. Topics include: Date/timezone classes (continued); PHP 4.4.0 released; PHP 4.0 escaped; struct ordering?; PHP-GTK 1.0.2 released; politics and the BC break in PHP 4.4; PHP 5.1.0 beta 3 released; dropping support for Win 98/NT/ME?; Ilia's week; and another safemode patch.
Python
Dr. Dobb's Python-URL!
The July 13, 2005 edition of Dr. Dobb's Python-URL! is online with lots of new articles about the Python language.Dr. Dobb's Python-URL!
The July 20, 2005 edition of Dr. Dobb's Python-URL! is online with the latest Python language articles.
XML
DocBook XSL 1.69.0 released (SourceForge)
Version 1.69.0 of DocBook XSL has been released. "The release includes major feature changes, particularly in the manpages stylesheets, as well as a large number of bug fixes. This project is the home for the DocBook XSLT stylesheets and DSSSL stylesheets and more."
Version Control
monotone 0.21 released
Version 0.21 of monotone, a version control system, is available. Changes include several new command line options, new capabilities and bug fixes.
Miscellaneous
Algol 68 Genie Mark 8 released
The Mark 8 release of the Algol 68 Genie interpreter is available. Changes include new networking procedures, a number of new keywords, and more.
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