All-In-One OSS Graphics Suite for Windows (plan)

So I guess this holiday, I will continue put my time on this Installer.

Todo-list:

- Naming this package

- Custom build some software that out of sync (that would be Synfig)

- Custom build another that out of dependencies (looks like Clash)

- Unified theme for the suite through single gtkrc with gtk-pref.exe included (done)

- Unified GTK & Python Dependencies (done)

- Keep stay around 50Mb of installer (need more tweak, currently 47Mb)

- Consider whether Flash-like animation, QCad & fractal thingy belong to this package

- Ensuring that all software is truly OSS, preferably xGPLx type (done)

Building MyPaint in Windows

mypaint_build_env (both 32bit and 64bit) last update: June 02, 2012 [BROKEN]
older build environment  for 0.8-0.9.1 version

Consider this as very minimal (patched and precompiled) package to build MyPaint. As long as Mypaint doesn't introduce new dependencies this should be future-proof.

Extract it [somewhere], directory's name may not contain space.
Read the included README.txt

MyPaint source:
http://gitorious.org/mypaint/mypaint
June 02, 2012: temporary workaround for windows

Note: while you may try other than main branch, I do not support them. Do not report error of other than main branch.

Audacity need High-end Audio System

When doing audio editing/compositing in Windows I use REAPER exclusively (a software by creator of Winamp). Why? First its insanely lightweight in both term (speed and size) and second it does support ASIO backend.

Casual user often neglect the meaning of latency simply because they rarely feel it while doing single mp3 file editing. Try edit and record multitrack audio, you will know how important is latency. Audacity as it once a linux software that support jack audio (in Linux) a similar ASIO alternative. But when JACKDMP (windows version of JACK) ported successfully audacity (win32) not even put it as an option. Weird eh? My mistake, vanilla Audacity 1.3.8 does have DirectSound support! Mine must be obsolete lol! :D

IMO, there is another option that quite good, that is SDL (used by LMMS). But it seem audacity overlooked it while feel happy with portaudio (MME) instead.

However audacity does support DirectSound and ASIO as long as you provide the required library don't know about JACKDMP though. Try to build that!

edit: just tried to build it, it seems everything fine. DirectSound and ASIO enabled. Jack also suported as ASIO device though "looks heavy" (I prefer ASIO4All still).

here: Audacity-1.3.8.exe

(this is just minimal unicode binary, no dlls and you may need to download VC2008 runtime, Jackdmp, ASIO4ALL and other addons)

WARNING: this is my personal build you are not authorized to use it :)) Well that will break GPL term. if you insist :p

Inkscape 0.47pre2 Win32 build

Inkscape 0.47 should be released at anytime soon. This screenshot is taken from here [updated build by Chris Morgan], that's the latest devel-build on Windows before final release. And I just tried use my genius tablet on it, the calligraphic pen get major haul!!

MyPaint and Genius MousePen 8x6 Tablet

Its Cheap!! just $45 (direct). Personally this is my first time using a tablet. So everything seems just as expected too lol. A few distraction to note however:

- Surface was rather scratchy
- There were bumps in some place
- Strangely I can't draw a straight diagonal line even after using ruler. Odd

I don't know how to tell you technically but this tablet rocks!!

my very initial draw:

Don't know what this thingy called.. just doing random dabbler

OpenERP 5 Documentation CHM format

When I worked for a financial company a year ago. I've been assigned a task to evaluate a bunch of open source based ERP packages. And one of the interesting one is OpenERP (a loosely derivative of Compiere, which could be extended easily through python instead of Java). Thus make OpenERP slim enough to be developed/maintained by less number of programmer though with strength of Compiere. Learning ERP is enormous task (and should be guided by financial expert), despite I have quit the company too soon before even get a quarter of ERP. I still keep a CHM that I made while learn it.

So here is, It might be worth for those with limited internet connection.
openERP_doc.chm

note:
Jut hide the sidebar, it has its own navigation and TOC :))

QCad Community Edition Win32 Installer

In case you didn't informed, someone called ximuntxo at SF has build Windows binary QCad from source using QT 3.3 long time ago. And I have give it a try for a week, given that I'm an AutoCAD avid and QCad certainly not try to imitate AutoCAD whatsoever I'm quite happy. Its stable however it just don't fill my style (it doesn't have scripting support too), I really want an open source of AutoCAD clone. There are some clone... but all are neither stable or useful for real work. So if you persistent, try learn its workflow especially how each tool works cause indeed its quite capable cad software.

Today I'm visiting Ribbonsoft and it is such a shame that they still offer very outdated version 2.0.5 of Community Edition sources, while windows binary (commercial) is way up to 2.2.2. Since no new source offered I pack the binary bundled with library and docs into an installer. Also I have hardcoded the qcad.exe so it will called Assistant (Docs) correctly right from Help menu.

qcad_ce-2.0.5.0_win32_installer.exe

note:
- there is glitch in qcadrc between Library path and Pattern path, just set them through GUI instead.
- the uninstaller is full of redundant due to 4500 files of part library lol
- you need msvcr71.dll for documentation work properly

7-Zip 9 beta has new LZMA2 format

After trying the beta version for about 2 month. I just recently know that it support .xz extension (use LZMA2 compression). Later it revealed that .xz only available when we compress single file that's why I kind of skip that new format.

Interesting enough the LZMA2 didn't have advantage over old LZMA (.7z). In my test regardless the file type (plain-text or binary) LZMA2 result is on par with LZMA infact in some binary (Mplayer.exe file) LZMA beat the new format a bit. Worse, LZMA2 required more than twice memory (a mere 2GB) at the same "maximum" setting.

Maybe this is why 7-zip 9 still in beta. We should wait then...

MPlayer + MPUI-hcb Installer

What you can't play through MPlayer? none? I have several flv format that have scaling issue that MPlayer refused to play but FLVPlayer play it. Also some real media format was known to not played unless addons codec installed.

Choose the GUI
SMPlayer, yeah its somewhat dense, but it's creeping slow especially during initialization.
MPUI, cmon the way its window keep reset position is very annoying.
MPlay its a faster than SMPlayer and has neat skinned GUI, which I will choose it if it does play audio of some 3gp files that other gui will play even with the same core.

..and the best is MPUI-hcb. Its neat, fast and has all feature you need including file association.

So, judging from what format commonly used and circulated today. I make a silent installer (appropriate for svcpack.inf of Windows unattended install) that consist:

- MPUI-hcb
- MPlayer Multithreading (without Mencoder, you don't need it)
- RealMedia codec addons (I don't add anything else, as I think H264 was defacto now)

Download here

note:
-this is SILENT install you wont notice anything when double click it. Just check startmenu whether it has installed.
-about the installer: its not NSIS, its just use modified 7-zip sfx + standard inf setup files so you can reconstruct it relatively easy.

MyPaint Git Build for Win32

MyPaint

I'm no longer offer git build of mypaint from 1.0 onward please use build environment below
Build instruction for Windows (there is a build environment package too)

Now Mypaint support localisation, In case you want to help us by becoming translator.

Install Instruction:
- download and install 7-zip here (you may also use recent WinRAR)
- download your preferred git version archive, and extract to somewhere e.g C:\mypaint-210908
- double click on mypaint.exe
- to hack MyPaint just extract library.zip to somewhere, edit py files (inside gui & lib folder) once you done, zip it again as library.zip

- report to http://gna.org/bugs/?group=mypaint if you found bug

note:
don't extract this archive over your stable version folder (official build).


Tablet Problem
When you want to report bug, please be specific about windows version, tablet's product name and if  possible the driver version. A screenshot will be helpful, also visit mypaint forum first just in case someone have the workaround for you.

Git build archive (dd-mm-yy) :

Since version 0.7.1:
mypaint-git-130110.7z
mypaint-git-271209X.7z
mypaint-git-111109-portnov.7z
mypaint-git-260909-portnov.7z
mypaint-git-300809.7z

Since version 0.8.0:
mypaint-git-021010.7z
mypaint-git-130710.7z
mypaint-git-260610.7z
mypaint-git-040410.7z
mypaint-git-160310-wacom.7z [w/ updated wacom driver]
mypaint-git-060210P.exe
mypaint_0.8RC.7z [SSE2 Optimized]

Since version 0.9.0:
mypaint 0.9.0rc1P.7z
mypaint-git-071210P.7z
mypaint-git-170111.7z [pen hotkey mapping]
mypaint-0.9.1P.7z [Portable with brushpack]

mypaint-git-061111.7z [revision 2]

MyPaint 1.0.0 released!
Download at http://mypaint.intilinux.com/?page_id=6 (if you can't launch mypaint at startup please re-download)



Troubleshoot:

Recover corupted ora file. This is unlikely happen in version 0.8 as the bug (also windows-specific) that cause it is already fixed. So just in case this happened to you, keep in mind that ora is a zipped container of individual PNGs (each layer) which arrangement is ruled by xml file. Thus you could examine the content of ora file (even the corrupted) using your archiver (mine is 7-zip) by just use open with.. and choose 7-zip manager. Inside, you will see "data" folder (contain individual PNGs), mimetype (a descriptor) and stack.xml (probably missing on corrupted file). You may extract your PNG files or even reproduce stack.xml and resave  it from 7-zip. FYI a normal ora also contain [Thumbnails] folder which contain a small preview file (intended to be shown in filemanager but not explorer).

MyPaint is based on python (interpreted language). If you know about it, feel free to experiment with its source code. To do this, extract library.zip (make a backup first) to somewhere, inside it you will find mypaint source code under "brushlib", "gui" and "lib" folders. Once you done editing py files, save your work and zip it again as library.zip overwrite older library.zip and try your new MyPaint.