NEWS Software
SVG in GTK+
With the release of Gnome2 the developers
Software News
are now setting sites on features for Gnome
2.2. A suggestion has been made to
Qt C# binding make new Virtual Atoms incorporate the SVG graphics support
library (rsvg) into GTK+. One obvious
version
Qt# has released version 0.4. This is a With the ability to edit molecules and advantage would be the use of scalable
collection of cross-platform C# bindings compile under Qt 3.x, the Kmovisto interfaces for those with high resolutions
for Trolltech's Qt GUI toolkit that is aimed molecular viewer is developing fast. rather than the standard bitmap themes.
at both the Mono and Portable.NET KMovisto imports Gaussian 94 or 98 files See developer.gnome.org/news/summary
projects. There is now some preliminary and can handle XYZ files. For viewing of
support for Microsoft.NET along with images KMovisto exports to POV-Ray files
O'Reilly releases Ant
object tracking, support for events and for rendering high quality presentations.
multiple custom slots. Interested parties If you need to produce a 3D presentation  I have to confess that I had absolutely
should visit qtcsharp.sourceforge.net. then KMovisto can export VRML output no idea that Ant, the little build tool that
for browser manipulation. could, would go as far as it did and make
such a mark on the Java developer
Sight for sore eyes
community, James Duncan Davidson
Calling home
KDE 3.1 Alpha is a new development said, the creator of Ant, in the new book
branch that has been announced. This KSetiwatch is now at version 2.50. In an  Ant: The Definitive Guide .  It might be
release sports everything from wonderful attempt to eliminate all the sorts of that the key to Ant's success is that it
new eye candy to tons of popular new didn't try to be successful. It was a simple
features including new and exciting solution to an obvious problem.
 Easter eggs (aka bugs) just waiting to In 1998, frustrated by his efforts to
be discovered. create a cross-platform build of Tomcat
using the tools of the day (GNU Make,
batch files, and shell scripts), Davidson
threw together his own build utility on an
aeroplane flight. Named Ant because it
was a little thing that could build big
things, James's quick-and-dirty solution
Logged signals dialog to his own problem of creating a cross-
platform build has evolved into the most
configuration problems with the latest widely used build management tool in
release, an updated source package has Java environments.
been made available. This package
should now be preconfigured for KDE3
KDE 3.1 alpha showing Tabbed browsing, ToolTip and configurable with older versions of
file previews and enhanced file downloads in autoconf. If you had problems with the
Konqueror previous package, you can get the new
one from ksetiwatch.sourceforge.net.
Those wanting a more stable life should
be using KDE 3.0.2. For more info see
GnomeICU 0.98.3 Released
dot.kde.org/1026405852.
GnomeICU 0.98.3 has been released. This
is the latest version of GnomeICU for the
Quick Fish
Gnome 1.4 desktop platform, and proba-
Sherman's Aquarium is a window maker bly the last release for this desktop
and gnome applet. It draws an aquarium platform. You should only get this if you
with some randomly positioned fish. The are still running Gnome 1.4 instead of
fish are done by Jim Toomey, the author Gnome 2, as we are going to have a
of the  Sherman's Lagoon comics. The Gnome 2 preview release soon. Within
temperature scale on the right side shows GnomeICU 0.98.2 you can now create
the CPU load. new users perfectly.
It can also be configured to display the Fixed user info receiving, and the UI of Ant: The Definitive Guide
time and show the status of numlock, cap- it. Better user authorization support. Complete Build Management for Java
slock and scrollock. It can be downloaded Stable server side contacts list support. By Eric M. Burke, Jesse E. Tilly; ISBN 0-596-00184-3;
from aquariumapplet.sourceforge.net. User interface cleanups.. 288 pages; Ł24.95; www.oreilly.co.uk
6 September 2002 www.linux-magazine.com
NEWS Software
GNOME 2 platform and is created to
O'Reilly releases XML Helping others
integrate well with the rest of the
Schema
Following on from a letter 'Computing components in the GNOME Office suite.
Many developers see W3C XML Schema For The Disabled' on page 17 of issue 2, The Agnubis team is currently working
as the principal language for defining the Barry Coates, an Access Technology hard to get the first release (0.1) out on
content and structure of XML documents, Trainer at the RNIB kindly wrote with general release. The application is now
while others resist the specification as some helpful news. starting to take shape in the CVS tree. For
unnecessarily complex, preferring to use The first link he gave was http://www. more information see www.gnome.org/
tools such as DTDs, Schematron or braille.uwo.ca/speakup/ which is helpful, projects/agnubis.
RELAX NG. Eric van der Vlist, the author certainly if the person in question is
of the newly released  XML Schema: The primarily a speech user. OK, it does mean
Apple iPod support for
W3C's Object-Oriented Descriptions for no X Windows  which isn't too big a
Linux
XML , approaches this controversy with deal given that neither KDE or Gnome
a sober and objective view: W3C XML environments are fully accessed from the tex9 announced the public release of their
Schema, he says, is both essential and keyboard  but you still have full access software that provides full operation of
potentially dangerous for XML. to the substantial number of command the Apple iPod on the Linux operating
 XML Schema is the most complex line applications especially Lynx, Pine, system. tex9's software is a plugin for the
specification ever published by the W3C EMACS etc. xtunes program (see www.tex9.com/
van der Vlist says.  The technology itself Basically, the Speakup project provides software/xtunes.php), a popular tex9 free
is complex, and the specification was a customised version of Red Hat for software product.
written in a way that's very difficult to download, and, if the PC user has an
read. Many experts lack the objectivity external synthesizer, this is probably the
necessary to show the limitations and most accessible Linux system around for
pitfalls of the technology. My book is an now. Speakup support has also been
honest attempt to provide a description of bolted on to Zipslack, the 100Mb version
W3C XML Schema that is neither bashing of Slackware. This is called Zipspeak and
nor praising. again it will run with an external synth
Involved in developing ISO standards such as a Dectalk or an Apollo.
as the editor of the DocumentSchema Last but not least, there is also the
Definition Languages Part 5 specification, Emacspeak project which again might be
which describes  Object Oriented XML worth checking out: xtunes now linking the Apple iPod to Linux
Schema languages , van der Vlist is an " www.linux-speakup.org/ftp/disks/U
XML consultant and developer, creator slackware/zipspeak The plugin allows simple drag-and-drop
and chief editor of XMLfr.org, as well as " www.cs.cornell.edu/Info/People/U of songs and playlists from the xtunes
being a regular contributor to XML.com raman/emacspeak/emacspeak.html library onto an iPod. It is currently priced
and xmlhack.com. He is hopeful that with Gnome 2 and at $10.00 per copy and can be purchased
importantly the Section 508 legislation in at www.tex9.com.
the States the incentives will be there to
put accessibility and usability issues
Kylix 3 by Borland
higher in the agenda!
Borland has launched Borland Kylix 3, a
Rapid Application Development (RAD)
Presenting projects
solution for C++ on Linux. Linux
Agnubis is the GNOME Presentation developers can quickly create GUI, data-
Program comparable to such programs as base, Web, and Web Services applications
Microsoft PowerPoint or Corel Present. It in C++. Kylix 3 includes expanded
has been developed and designed for the support for Web Services development.
Kylix 3 extends RAD for Linux to the
more than two million developers in the
C++ community world wide.  With
Kylix 3, Borland has brought industry
standard, and powerful enterprise tools to
the Linux development community. The
addition of C++ support in Kylix means
that any class of Linux application, from
XML Schema  The W3C's Object-Oriented GUI to database to Web Services, can be
Descriptions for XML created quickly said Jeff Bates, co-
By Eric van der Vlist, ISBN 0-596-00252-1, founder of Slashdot.org and director of
400 pages, Ł28.95, www.oreilly.co.uk Agnubis showing its own summary OSDN Online..
8 September 2002 www.linux-magazine.com