Dualhead-O-Matic: it doesn’t explode
Stephen B. - February 2nd, 2006
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Archive for the ‘News’ Category BeOS developer “Cyan” has posted a new application on BeBits; the program is Dualhead-O-Matic, a handy ultility that gives users of dual monitor setups more control over desktop wallpaper display. It does some clever behind-the-scenes work to correctly scale and correct the aspect ratio of images – Dualhead-O-Matic appears to perform the appropriate operation on the image you choose, save a new file with the changes (resizing, etc), and then set the new image as your wallpaper. And as a free bonus, the program is also designed not cause explosions – a welcome feature indeed! Thanks to Mr. X for the heads-up, and pointing out that the Dualhead-O-Matic readme is hillarious. If there’s ever a second edition of the BeDoper Master’s Awards, that readme is a shoe-in.
A new release of the im_kit was posted to BeBits today, marking the first official release in… thirty-five years? Hrm, looks like BeBits may be having a problem with version history dates. The release – Alpha 12 – includes builds for both R5 (BONE-only) and ZETA; it contains bugfixes, an emoticon-capable im_client, and the new Google Talk protocol add-on. I’m personally am quite glad to see an updated official build, I’ve been using the CVS/SVN build from Begasus’ tutorial for the last few months. The im_kit is one of the most innovative uses of BeOS technology developed outside of Be, and I’ve gotten pretty addicted to the simplicity of having IM essentially integrated with my People files.
With all the new previously-unknown projects popping up, and signs of life from seemingly long-discontinued projects, BeOS news feels a bit like cryptozoology these days. Most recently, HaikuNews has dug up some info on an updated port of the AbiWord OSS word processor which is being worked on by Sokolov “knorr” Anton. Currently the only download available is a bzip2 archive of the source code, but the Polish site haiku-os.pl has a trio of screenshots showing AbiWord 2.2.8 running under R5: one – two – three. While YellowTAB’s OpenOffice port is certainly important, it’s nice to see progress made on something a bit leaner. The site containing the download link – becool.h15.ru – also has an interesting screenshot of a Flash player called “blazer” running under R5. It appears to be different from the Gnash-based Flash player recently reported on by ICO.
A new version of the Zenebona was released today. In addition to some general bugfixes, it looks like some work has been done on the R5 version – the most noticeable difference being that I was able to get this version running in R5, while the previous release crashed on startup. Read on for a few tips on installation in R5, some first-impressions, and a few screenshots. Read More »
While there may not be much public discussion in the BeOS community these days, we’ve had many interesting surprises lately to remind us that there are still people out there quietly doing cool stuff. Case in point, IsComputerOn has the first details on a new Flash player in development for ZETA. From ICO:
ICO also has a screenshot of it doing what a Flash player does (no, not showing “Punch the monkey” ads). Very few details are available at this point, but it’s a safe bet that many of us will be watching this project with interest – I give them an A+ for dramatic timing.
Reader “scott mc” wrote in to alert me to the significance of today’s date. AppleMatters.com is running a story on this day in 1997, the day when Steve Jobs officially returned to Apple (as a temporary advisor). It was a pivotal moment in the history of both Be and Apple, as it lead to Apple eventually releasing the NeXT-derived OS X and Be releasing the BeOS for x86. And now, nearly a decade later, we may even be able to run BeOS on Apple hardware again thanks to the Intel transition. Who would have guessed that, nine years ago? P.S.
The developer “ZuMi” has released two new applications that make clever use of the InfoPopper application: PopAggregator and PopWeather. Both programs are implemented as BASH scripts and use the im_kit’s InfoPopper application to display data – RSS newsfeeds, with PopAggregator, and current weather info, in the case of PopWeather. A simple idea, and two useful new apps.
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