MaXXDesktop.com

I am glad to announce that a new website is under development. This new website will focus on the development and distribution of both the Classic and Modern MaXX Interactive Desktop products. The new design should be completed by end of May. SVN server will be available next week. This means that I am moving all development related features to MaXXDesktop.com.

Here are a list of those features;
• Wiki
• Forums
• News
• API-SDK full online documentation
• SVN server
• SVN WebView
• Search engine

Cheers,

Eric Masson

5Dwm.org || MaXXDesktop.com

5Dwm v2.0

Hi all,

I am glad to announce the start of the development effort of 5Dwm v2.0. On the road map are the addition of EWMH 1.x support, XRender and hardware overlay plane. Here are below a little bit more details on what those new features means and how this will improve 5Dwm functionality and usability.

Enhanced Window Manager Hints or EWMH is a specification that defines interactions between a window manager, the applications that it manage, and utilities that form part of a desktop experience. These new features will allow 5Dwm v2.0 to support multiple workspaces, a pager, sticky and shaded windows. Refer to the official documentation for more detail: http://standards.freedesktop.org/wm-spec/wm-spec-1.3.html

XRender is on the other hand a very nice addition to 5Dwm and it will guaranty a smooth evolution and provide advanced rendering operations, alpha blending and composition support. XRender will bring to 5Dwm v2.0 a fresh touch of modernization and support transparent window, setting the stage for drop shadows and composition-manager like xcompmgr and Compiz-Fusion. OpenGL application that supports ARGB-GLX Visual will also benefits for XRender support. Here is a very nice example of what ARGB GLX Visual and XRender can do: http://macslow.thepimp.net/?p=41

Hardware Overlay Plane is a feature that is only available on workstation and pro-level GPU card like the NVidia Quadro line, 3DLabs and FireGL. In a nutshell it provide a hardware accelerated second plane, above the main plane that we all know, for drawing whatever you want. The idea is to avoid expensive window redraw when popup menus, feedbacks and other GUI elements are displayed to get user inputs. The less often you redraw the better your application behave. The plan is to add into 5Dwm v2.0 hardware overlay plane support to assist and off load CAD/CAM, digital effects and imaging softwares. SGI's 4DWM as been using hardware overlay plane for almost 10years now. This feature deserve to be used rather that forgotten. Trolltech's Qt 4.x supports overlay plane right at the QWidget and QGLWidget level, when the hardware supports it, of course!

Finally, 5Dwm v2.0 will be linked against SGI-OpenMotif-2.3. That's right! OpenMotif 2.3 is getting SGI look and feel and enhancements. As of today, 50% of the work is done and I can tell you that SGI-Motif 2.3 never looked so good with XFT antialiased fonts.

Hope this gets you excited, cause I am and looking forward your comments and feedbacks.

Eric Masson

5Dwm.org|| MaXXDesktop.com

New Sourceforge.net project

Hi all and Happy Easter!

I have created a new sourceforge project for the code that will have a BSD License (mainly all the open-source code). This code will make up the classic desktop, the SDK upper stack and lots of goodies.

Here is the URL: http://sourceforge.net/projects/maxxdesktop/

Regards,

Eric Masson
5dwm.org

Calling for C++ and Java Developers

Hi all,

As you probably know already (if not, please read the Roadmap), that the MaXX Interactive Development Frameworks will allow developers to build MaXX Desktop aware/friendly application in both C++ and Java. This is possible for two reasons; First, the Frameworks are built using Trolltech's Qt 4.4 Second, each MaXX Interactive Framework is carefully designed to integrate with Trolltech's Qt Jambi technology. Qt Jambi provides tools to easily bridge the gap between native C++ and Java code.

Here is below a summary of the development kits:



Foundation Framework
▪ Core Kit
▪ Utility Kit
▪ IO Kit
▪ Network Kit
▪ File System Kit
▪ Concurrency Kit

Vue Framework
▪ Window Kit
▪ Dialog Kit
▪ Preview Kit
▪ Icon Kit
▪ Desktop Kit
▪ Composer Kit
▪ Widget Kit

Monitor Framework
▪ Instrument Kit
▪ Monitoring Server Kit
▪ Monitoring Client Kit

Grafix Framework
▪ Imaging Kit
▪ OpenGL Kit
▪ OpenSceneGraph Kit
▪ Performer Kit
▪ OpenInventor Kit

Média Framework
▪ Audio Kit (OpenAL or KDE Phonom)
▪ Video Kit (OpenML or KDE Phonom)



I invite you to get your hands on the latest version 4.4 (beta): http://trolltech.com/downloads/opensource

For more information on Jambi, please refer to this url: http://trolltech.com/products/qt/jambi


Waiting for comments and questions!

Eric Masson
5dwm.org

Well underway for DR-2

Hi all,

Here are some recent news regarding MaXX Desktop....

The Developer Release Series is well underway and there are over 75 registered members in the MaXX Interactive Desktop Developer Release Series Google Group. If you are interested to joy us as a developer-tester, visit our Google Group and send us a subscription request!

5DWM v2.0 will be possibly based on a fork of either OpenBox or FluxBox Window Manager source code. This will bring needed features like multiple-workspace and XRender-XComposite extensions support.

The MaXX Desktop Foundation Developer Kits will be based on Trolltech's Qt 4.4, OpenGL and Xlib. The first kits will be made available in DR-2. So developers, get ready!

We are looking for a web master to keep the 5dwm.org official site alive! So anyone with HTML, CSS, FLASH, good design nose and some free time to spare can apply at maxxi (dot) desktop (at) gmail (dot) com.

You are welcome to comment to any of the topics above!!! (I hope someone does)

Eric Masson
5dwm.org

DR-1 day !

Hi Everyone,

It is a great day today (except the winter storm killing my back) for MaXX Interactive. We are officially starting the Developer Release Series with a new web site that will allow us to better document, communicate and share files related to the DR series. We have created a Google Group called MaXX Interactive Desktop Release Series that off loads the main web site and better suited for the task. He is the URL. http://groups.google.ca/group/maxx-desktop-dr?hl=en

We invite you to visit the MaXX Interactive Desktop Release Series Google Group to browse information and discuss various topics.

Here are the steps required to join the MaXX Interactive Desktop Developer Release and to have access to the download files.

1- You have to send us you system configuration (uname -a and the model of your graphic display and its driver version) to the following email; maxxi.desktop@gmail.com
2- Then, we will send you an invite to the MaXX Desktop DR Google Group
3- After completing your registration, you are becoming a member of the group and have access to pretty much everything for downloading, compiling, running MaXX, providing feedbacks and participating in various forums.

We hope this new process will enhance communication and allow everyone to add a little something to the success of MaXX Desktop.

Cheers,
Eric Masson

MaXX Desktop Developer Release Series

It is with great joy that I officially announce the schedule for MaXX Desktop Developer Release Series. You will find below a summary of what each DR will be made of. Refer to the main site http://5dwm.org for more details.

Enjoy,

Eric Masson



DR-1:
Code name: Sleeping beauty
Date: December 3rd 2007

Goals:
• Migrating existing Beta 1 user to the new file system structure of MaXX Desktop.
• Install new foundation libraries (Xt,Xm, Sgm, themes, glut, GLw and Qt)
• New version of several applications: 5Dwm, toolchest, desktop-tools
• New SGV icons
• QTK themes (classic and modern look and feels)
• Qt theme (modern look and feel)
• ROX Filer overlay pack
• Composition Manager


DR-2:
Code name: Big Easy
Date: March 3rd 2008

Goals:
• Bug fixes of DR-1
• MaXX Monitor new low latency system wide monitoring framework
• MaXX Foundation Application Kits
• MaXX Personality Kits
• New Desktop Configuration Panels
• Workspace Manager
• File Manager


DR-3:
Code name: Mustang
Date: June 3rd 2008
Goals:
• Bug fixes of DR-2
• More MaXX Foundation Application Kits
• More MaXX Personality Kits
• More Desktop Configuration Panels