Gizmo Daemon / News: Recent posts

This is mostly a bug fix release for an issue that cropped up with recent versions of xorg where Gizmod would spike the CPU for long periods of time, however there are a number of other efficiency fixes as well meaning CPU usage has been decreased across the board. In addition to the the fixes come a few new features including:
* Better support for device matching by product and vendor ID codes. If you have one of those hard to identify devices that describes itself with some generic (or empty) device string, this should help.
* initial support for the Logitech Momo racing wheel! Actually currently just the pedals -- you can now use the gas pedal to scroll down, and the brake to scroll up. And, of course, the scrolling speed is dependant on how much you depress the pedals.
* New CMake based build system that should help alleviate some of the compilation issues that revolved around the old autotools based system, specifically with regards to 64 bit supporting library detection.

Starting with Gutsy Gibbon, Gizmo Daemon is now available in Ubuntu's official Universe repository: http://packages.ubuntu.com/gutsy/utils/gizmod

This release is mostly in response to feature requests from users. There are a couple of minor bugfixes, but most of the new features are related to the Python scripting API, so if you're an end user you might not notice the difference between this release and the last (unless you use Beryl and have a Powermate). At any rate here's a list of what's new to play with:

* New Powermate setRotateSensitivity command for changing the sensitivity of the dial. There's also a global variable in GizmoDeviceStrings.py for this.
* Added a "ClickTime" property to the GizmoEventPowermate class. This means the duration of the click (how long the user pressed the Powermate's button) can be easily captured inside Python.
* Added a new event for differentiating Powermate button "timeouts" from regular clicks. This allows the button to be used for more things simultaneously.
* Added a new script for Beryl that makes use of the Powermate button timeout. If a "timeout" on the button is detected (ie, the user holds the dial for a short period without releasing it, and they don't turn it), then the Beryl desktop cube will "unfold".
* Added a new GizmodTimer class to have nice timer support in the Python scripts. (Regular Python timers don't work so well in the embedded situation).
* Added the ability for remotes to send "Alt-Tab" events to window managers with use of a single button. This may seem trivial at first, but it was only possible after the addition of GizmodTimer. Also added a new base script called GizmoScriptAltTabber that any script can inherit if it wants to sent Alt-Tab events.

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-- v 3.3
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- Add Powermate setRotateSensitivity function
- New variable in GizmoDeviceStrings.py called
POWERMATE_ROTATE_SENSITIVITY for this!
- Add PowermateEvent ClickTime property (duration of button press)
- Add GizmodThread class for creating threads from Python
- DO NOT USE!! (HIGHLY EXPERIMENTAL!)
- Add GizmodTimer class for creating timer objects from Python
- Add script 200-Powermate-ButtonTimeout for generating button
timeout events
- New variable in GizmoDeviceStrings.py called
POWERMATE_BUTTON_TIMEOUT for this!
- Add script 201-Powermate-Beryl
- So far this detects a powermate button timeout and
unfolds the beryl cube, and lets you scroll the unfolded
cube with the dial
- Add base script GizmoScriptAltTabber so that devices have an
easy way of sending Alt-Tab events
- New variable in GizmoDeviceStrings.py called
ALT_TAB_TIMEOUT for this!
- Add remote ?00-Intercept scripts for alt-tabbing support
- This allows the default mapping to start alt-tab
and to still alt-tab passed applications (if alt-tab
actually focuses apps) if those apps happen to use
the same button that initialized the alt-tab
- Add Gizmod namespace to libGizmod

- Updated the Python API so that scripts can just inherit
a desirable base class, and gain required functionality
ie, inherit from GizmoScriptApplicationRunning if the
device application mapping should be used when a specific
app has foreground focus
- Fix potential crash bugs in network object deserialization
code.
- Fix potential infinite loop in X11FocusWatcher on shutdown
- Add 64 bit patch from ubuntu package team
- Add setInputFocus method for raising windows by window title
from the Python scripts
- Add copyright disclaimers to all of the scripts as per
ubuntu package maintainer requests

Gizmod 3.1 was released today! Here's the ChangeLog:

- Add new Visualization API
- Add keyboard LED visualizations
- Add keyboard LED command line switch (--keyboard-leds)
- Fix segfault when shutting down gizmod, and clients
are connected and sending messages
- Add HUP script reloading (mostly works, but needs more
upstream support from boost.python for Py_Finalize)
- Remote control mode (--remote-control)
- Fix the configure script so that it doesn't need
slocate!
- PowerMate LED events only get send across USB bus
if absolutely necessary

G3 released today!

Gizmod 3.0 development has begun. Python scripting stays, but it is being totally revamped to be as Pythonic as possible, completely modular, and best of all: well documented.

A new design for the core of the app has been completed, and should provide an extremely robust, yet simple mechanism for passing events from kernel to Python.

Current status: Python interface to the C++ core is mostly complete. Input events are being detected.