Development
GePhex: a modular real-time video effect framework
GePhex is a real-time video effect framework. In a previous LWN article, Fun with video effects on Linux, some lower-level video effect utilities were examined. GePhex uses software from other applications as component pieces in a high-level video effector system.
GePhex is a modular video jockey software. The base visuals can be chosen from sources like video files or cameras. Then they can be modified by filters and mixers. Each modifier has several parameters, that can be controlled by signal-generators, input devices like joysticks, sound cards, or midi-devices.
GePhex runs on GNU/Linux, Win32, Mac OS X, and FreeBSD. The effect engine is independent from the user interface, which can be de- and attached at runtime. All effects and media streams are extendible by plugins. GePhex is written in C++.
The list of
features
summarizes the project's main capabilities.
The GePhex Book has tutorial-style examples of some of the
capabilities of the software, it also includes installation and
api information as well as the project history.
The GePhex Book explains which audience the software is aimed at:
"Video jockeys can use this system to modify or recombine existing footage or create new video effects in an interactive process. External devices like joysticks, midi-keyboards, or web-cams can influence the real-time video generation.
"
In other words, GePhex can be used to turn your computer into a
stand-alone light show.
The GePhex project was started in 2001, the first stable version was released in 2003. The project has been put together by this list of developers.
Version 0.4.3 of gephex was announced this week, it features the addition of most of the effecTV effects, experimental Mac OS X support, initial OSC support, usability improvements, and bug fixes.
GePhex configured and built with no problems on a Fedora Core 3 system, and it was possible to activate the rendering engine and run most of the demo configurations, or "graphs" in GePhex terminology. Playing with the properties of the various inputs and filters and tweaking some of the GUI controls produced some very interesting visual effects.
The GePhex gallery has some still images that were produced by application, but one should really run GePhex to get an idea its the real-time capabilities. Several example effects are also available for extending the initial set of configurations.
System Applications
Audio Projects
Speex 1.1.9 Released
Version 1.1.9 of Speex, an audio CODEC, is out with the following changes: "The main improvement in this release is that the acoustic echo canceller is finally usable. This work has been sponsored by Tipic Inc. Also, several bugs have been fixed for the TI C5x port."
Database Software
Knoda Now Supports Firebird and Paradox (KDE.News)
KDE.News reviews the latest additions to Knoda. "Knoda is a database frontend for KDE. With its latest release, Knoda introduces support for Firebird and Paradox databases, now supporting all open source SQL servers. Besides managing tables and queries, Knoda also lets you create forms and reports, scriptable via Python."
PostgreSQL Weekly News
The June 6, 2005 edition of the PostgreSQL Weekly News is online with coverage of PostgreSQL database development.PyDO2 Announced
Harish Singh has sent in an announcement for the PyDO2 utility. "I'd like to suggest an announcement for PyDO2 which is "an ORM (Object-Relational Mapper) database access library for Python". The new release is in alpha but is already shaping up to be a killer app."
Web Site Development
ATutor 1.5RC1 Released (SourceForge)
Version 1.5 RC 1 of ATutor, a Web-based Learning Content Management System, is out. "ATutor 1.5RC1 has been released, and there are some big changes. This release candidate is primarily a call to the ATutor community to provide feedback and suggestions before the final release coming in early July. Some features to look for: modular Student Tools, a SCORM Run-Time Environment, and extended templating capabilities, among many others."
Midgard 1.7beta1 "FlyHigh" released
Version 1.7 beta 1 of the Midgard content management framework is out. "Midgard provides a reliable, carrier-grade CMS framework build for the the LAMP platform. Midgard's core features include internationalization, accessibility, scalability and PHP connectivity. This development release includes a Midgard2 technology preview."
Desktop Applications
Audio Applications
Oscilloscope plugin 0.2.1
Version 0.2.1 of the Oscilloscope DSSI plugin is available with bug fixes.
Desktop Environments
GNOME Software Announcements
The following new GNOME software has been announced this week:- Epiphany 1.7.1 (new features and bug fixes)
- Epiphany 1.7.1 patch (installation fix)
- Epiphany Extensions 1.7.1 (new features and bug fixes)
- libgda/libgnomedb 1.3.2 (new features and bug fixes)
- libgda/libgnomedb 1.3.3 (bug fixes)
- Mergeant 0.60 (new features, bug fixes, and translation work)
KDE Software Announcements
The following new KDE software has been announced this week:- amaroK 1.3 (first beta release)
- Kexi 0.9 (stable release)
- Kile 1.8.1 (bug fixes)
- Opale 0.6.1 (bug fixes)
KDE Commit Digest (KDE.News)
The June 3, 2005 edition of the KDE Commit Digest is online, here's the content summary: "Kexi supports CSV import. kttsd adds support for Cepstral voices. Kopete add webcam receiving support for yahoo. Kopete implements global identity for all the IM services. KTorrent add search capability. Kopete support for Skype is in progress. Datakiosk adds prompts for sql queries and search."
Electronics
Simted 0.0.2 and 0.0.3 released
Version 0.0.2 and pre-beta version 0.0.3 of Simted, an engine for modeling software for the solution of nonlinear systems, is out. "The modern level of technical development puts forward high requirements to accuracy and time of modeling of devices: electronic, micromechanical (MEMS), thermodynamic, hydraulic, etc. Such systems can be described with the help of the nonlinear ordinary differential equations."
GUI Packages
wxWidgets 2.6.1 has been released
Version 2.6.1 of wxWidgets, a cross-platform GUI framework, is available. "Bug fixes include refresh improvements on Windows, better wxX11 menu support, wxMac fixes for Tiger, and the ability to compile wxMSW with Winelib under Unix."
Interoperability
Wine Traffic
Issue #277 of Wine Traffic is available with the latest Wine project news. Topics include: Summer of Code, Wine on Solaris, Copy Protection Status #1 and #2, and Forking and Printing.
Mail Clients
Mozilla Thunderbird 1.1 Alpha 1 Released (MozillaZine)
MozillaZine covers the announcement of version 1.1 Alpha 1 of Mozilla Thunderbird, a mail and newsgroup client. "Major new features in Thunderbird 1.1 Alpha 1 include a phishing detector, an improved spell checker (including inline as-you-type checking in the Compose window), support for removing attachments from received messages, enhanced RSS/Atom feed functionality (including support for podcasting) and a better user interface."
Office Suites
KOffice 1.4 Release Candidate Announced (KDE.News)
KDE.News has an announcement for a new KOffice 1.4 Release Candidate. "If nothing disastrous is found in this release, it will be renamed and become KOffice 1.4. A Live-CD has been created so that you can try out KOffice 1.4 RC without having to commit your hard disc to it."
Web Browsers
Minutes of the mozilla.org Staff Meeting (MozillaZine)
The minutes from the May 16, 2005 mozilla.org staff meeting have been announced. "Issues discussed include Mozilla Foundation people, Mozilla Firefox 1.0.4, the 1.1 releases, in-tree localisation, build systems, XTech, the Mozilla Store and the Community Awards."
Minutes of the mozilla.org Staff Meeting (MozillaZine)
The minutes from the May 31, 2005 mozilla.org staff meeting have been announced. "Issues discussed include Deer Park and XTech."
Word Processors
AbiWord 2.2.8 Released (GnomeDesktop)
Version 2.2.8 of the AbiWord word processor has been announced. "This release has seen a lot of bugfixes, polish, and cleanups as we are nearing the end of the 2.2 release cycle. We are working hard towards AbiWord v2.4, which is shaping up nicely. This release is mostly a bugfix release, with some minor new features."
Miscellaneous
KnowledgeTree 2.0.5 released (SourceForge)
Version 2.0.5 of KnowledgeTree has been announced. "KnowledgeTree is an Open Source Document Management System, and version 2.0.5 has focussed mostly on minor bugfixes, improved error reporting around upload failures, and preliminary support for PostgreSQL."
Languages and Tools
C
GCC Newsletter #16
Issue #16 of the GCC Newsletter is online. "After an extensive pause, I will now attempt to hit at least the highest of the high spots of the GCC mailing list for the last few months. My intention is to mention at least briefly the events of each month from November 2004 through April 2005 in retrospect."
Caml
Caml Weekly News
The June 7, 2005 edition of the Caml Weekly News is online with the latest new Caml language articles.
Perl
Perl 5.8.7 released (use Perl)
Release 5.8.7 of Perl has been announced: "5.8.7 is a maintenance release for perl 5.8, incorporating various minor bugfixes and optimisations. Please see the perldelta for the full details. Please report bugs using the perlbug utility".
This Week in Perl 6 (O'Reilly)
The May 25-31, 2005 edition of This Week in Perl 6 is available with the latest Perl 6 development news.
PHP
GeSHi version 1.1.0 alpha 4 (unstable) released (SourceForge)
Unstable version 1.1.0 alpha 4 of GeSHi, a syntax-highlighting PHP class with support for over 30 languages, is available. "New features to this release include auto-linkifying of e-mail addresses and URLs in highlighted source code, CSS support again greatly improved and a language file added for CSS (so you can try highlighting CSS files at the demo form at http://geshi.org/), the get-keywords script has been improved with new options and now uses its own copy of the PEAR files it needs, and context naming support has been greatly improved, which will lead to an important optimisation in speed and RAM usage in the next build."
PHP Weekly Summary for March 7, 2005
The PHP Weekly Summary for March 7, 2005 is out. Topics include: How to add a logo, PHP-GTK 2 development, embedding, PHP, and multi-threading, generated files in CVS?, integrated encryption request, help with segfault tracking, new egg, and shutdown order changes.
Python
Python Standard Logging (O'ReillyNet)
Jeremy Jones discusses Python logging on O'Reilly. "Tracking down what your application does seems easy; just add a few print statements here and there. Unfortunately, effectively tracing a program is more difficult. That's where Python's standard logging module comes in."
Dr. Dobb's Python-URL!
The June 7, 2005 edition of Dr. Dobb's Python-URL! is online with a new collection of articles about the Python language.
Scheme
Schemer's Gazette
Issue #7 of the Schemer's Gazette was published on June 7, take a look for new Scheme language discussions, resources and events.
Tcl/Tk
Dr. Dobb's Tcl-URL!
The June 1, 2005 edition of Dr. Dobb's Tcl-URL! is online with the latest Tcl/Tk news and resources.
Test Suites
GtkPerf testing tool released (GnomeDesktop)
GnomeDesktop.org looks at the GtkPerf application. "GtkPerf is an application designed to test GTK+ performance. The point is to create common testing platform to run predefined GTK+ widgets (opening comboboxes, toggling buttons, scrolling text etc.) and this way define the speed of device/platform."
Version Control
Darcs 1.0.3 released
Version 1.0.3 of Darcs, a revision control system, is out. "Darcs development has continued to pick up steam since the last release. Along with the project growth came some important leadership delegation. Author David Roundy worked with Tomasz Zielonka and Ian Lynagh, as they picked up responsibility for the Stable and Unstable branches respectively. David continues to focus us work in a third 'conflicts' branch, where he is in the middle of a project to make drastic performance improvements to the darcs conflict commutation algorithm."
Miscellaneous
Apple Opens WebKit CVS and Bug Database (KDE.News)
KDE.News reports that Apple Computer has announced the immediate availability of the WebKit Open Source Project. It includes full access to the CVS of WebKit as well as an open bug database. WebKit is the KHTML-based system framework used on Mac OS X by Safari, Dashboard, Mail.app, and many other OS X applications.
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