LCARS 24 is still undergoing continuous improvement and expansion, even though it's all being done pretty much by one developer, and I'm very busy most of the time.
I was hoping to get version 3.1.2 posted for download by early September, but so far there hasn't been time to put the last few finishing touches on it.
But there's a lot there already. And it's the only LCARS system that allows you to turn an old computer and turn it into a real, working LCARS box with with numerous programs that also serves as an alarm clock when idle, effectively putting a piece of Star Trek in the home that is more than just a plastic prop or action figure but a bit of functional Trek tech that is actually useful and costs little or no money.
More coming. I'm working on it.
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Version 3.1.2 represents a collecton of these small improvements, some of which are only a matter of streamlining, to get the same functionality with less code. But it really does work even better and look even better than the previous version. This kind of work continues constantly.
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I did do some work on the suggestion of redoing the 14-font, adding lowercase and improving the caps slightly. But it also makes it more efficient, more flexible, and faster, with lot less code. That was an old font implemented with very old methodology. It will also give rise to additional sizes. One of these days I should upgrade my font editor.
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Right now I'm doing some hard stuff, having to do with memory management rather than flashy new features. Buy there will be more artwork, animation, etc. once that's done.
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Yeah, and I always feel stupid when I spot some tiny thing wrong that I should have noticed long before or a better design for something I should have thought of before.
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I'm still trying to streamline and get more multiple functionality out of existing things. One target is the library menu, which could service the new briefing app and a new program menu, and perhaps some future things.
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Some of the fonts still need further tweaking. I'm trying to get the big things done that users care about, but there are always little things to improve.
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I've been struggling a bit with subroutines for vectored drawing, trying out various methods. I've got three approaches to antialiased angled lines that look perfectly smooth and one that's almost perfect with curves but not quite smooth enough.
So it still needs more experimentation and then finish-up before it can become part of LCARS 24.
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This week I'm writing more crosswords, using the word lists generated by a program I wrote that took Memory Alpha's database, deleted all words in a regular spelling dictionary and all duplicates and then arranged them alphabetically in columns by number of letters. Even with that, unfortunately, there remained names of production people (which I don't use in these puzzles) and even a few errors. So I have to check every word I'm not sure of as I go. It also doesn't contain common words related to Trek, like United, which appears in puzzle No. 8. I just have to pull those out of the air, as one would when writing general crosswords.
And, of course, writing subject-specific crosswords is harder than having the freedome to use anything.
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I managed to get five new crosswords done, but that's still only 10 in total. I've got regular work to do, as well as other things to do on the next version. But hopefully I'll get some more of these crosswords done, as well.
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LCARS 24 is still undergoing continuous improvement and expansion, even though it's all being done pretty much by one developer, and I'm very busy most of the time.
I was hoping to get version 3.1.2 posted for download by early September, but so far there hasn't been time to put the last few finishing touches on it.
But there's a lot there already. And it's the only LCARS system that allows you to turn an old computer and turn it into a real, working LCARS box with with numerous programs that also serves as an alarm clock when idle, effectively putting a piece of Star Trek in the home that is more than just a plastic prop or action figure but a bit of functional Trek tech that is actually useful and costs little or no money.
More coming. I'm working on it.
Version 3.1.2 represents a collecton of these small improvements, some of which are only a matter of streamlining, to get the same functionality with less code. But it really does work even better and look even better than the previous version. This kind of work continues constantly.
PNG is another thing I haven't added yet, but it's in the works, since there is a library available for it that will hopefully work.
I did do some work on the suggestion of redoing the 14-font, adding lowercase and improving the caps slightly. But it also makes it more efficient, more flexible, and faster, with lot less code. That was an old font implemented with very old methodology. It will also give rise to additional sizes. One of these days I should upgrade my font editor.
Well, it has come a long way since version 1. And that was already awesome.
There is a lot going on with the project, but I also have a lot of regular work to do.
This is the focus, even if it's just a lot of small improvements. But they add up.
Right now I'm doing some hard stuff, having to do with memory management rather than flashy new features. Buy there will be more artwork, animation, etc. once that's done.
Slowly but surely? How about faster?
I got one more thing fixed that has been bugging me: The trunk of the letter 'Y' of the scalable LCARS font was too wide.
This is the reason for the level of quality--all those little details and always trying to make it better.
Yeah, and I always feel stupid when I spot some tiny thing wrong that I should have noticed long before or a better design for something I should have thought of before.
I'm still trying to streamline and get more multiple functionality out of existing things. One target is the library menu, which could service the new briefing app and a new program menu, and perhaps some future things.
Some of the fonts still need further tweaking. I'm trying to get the big things done that users care about, but there are always little things to improve.
Anyway, this new briefing app will require and result in quite a few new capabilities of SFML, which may find use apart from that.
Work has been busy, and not much has gotten done on the briefing app, but today I'm making some progress on it.
Developement does seem slow, but it's amazing enough this thing exists at all.
I'm doing what I can.
We're just impatient. And waiting on pins and needles for a new Trek movie makes us even more impatient.
I've been struggling a bit with subroutines for vectored drawing, trying out various methods. I've got three approaches to antialiased angled lines that look perfectly smooth and one that's almost perfect with curves but not quite smooth enough.
So it still needs more experimentation and then finish-up before it can become part of LCARS 24.
This week I'm writing more crosswords, using the word lists generated by a program I wrote that took Memory Alpha's database, deleted all words in a regular spelling dictionary and all duplicates and then arranged them alphabetically in columns by number of letters. Even with that, unfortunately, there remained names of production people (which I don't use in these puzzles) and even a few errors. So I have to check every word I'm not sure of as I go. It also doesn't contain common words related to Trek, like United, which appears in puzzle No. 8. I just have to pull those out of the air, as one would when writing general crosswords.
And, of course, writing subject-specific crosswords is harder than having the freedome to use anything.
I managed to get five new crosswords done, but that's still only 10 in total. I've got regular work to do, as well as other things to do on the next version. But hopefully I'll get some more of these crosswords done, as well.
I managed to get the flicker out of zoomed MSD scrolling at the right edge, which turned out to be harder than I has expected. But that's done.