Here we have gbrainy 1.40, two months after the previous major version. gbrainy is a game that challenges your logic, verbal, calculation and memory abilities.
What is new in version 1.40 from the NEWS file:
Version 1.4gbrainy 1.40 is available for download in source code from:
* 2 new logic games
* Deprecated Glade and moved to Builder
* Mouse support
* Better RTL support
* Updated and new translations (Hungarian, Afrikaans and Finnish)
* Remove dead and legacy code
* 12 Bug fixes
* http://gent.softcatala.org/jmas/gbrainy/gbrainy-1.40.tar.gz
(md5sum fe7b25b08c2004d887f9fd092fba962f)
Additionally, gbrainy is available for all major Linux distributions.
gbrainy short term plans
There a few bugs still pending to be fixed from Bugzilla, and some additional ones coming from the Ubuntu community and others from personal e-mails. I'm planning to release a gbrainy 1.41 in 4/6 weeks. This minor release will contain fixes for these issues plus all the updated and new translations. After this, I will start to work on the next major version.
How to help
This is a common question that I get. Let me point out some areas where you can help:
- Play the game and provide feedback about the application.
- Translation to different languages. Check the current status of gbrainy translations.
- Any development aid, including fixes or new Puzzles for the current system (see the development section)
- Ideas for new logic puzzles, memory, calculation trainers or verbal analogies.
If you like gbrainy, blog about it and tell your friends!
Thanks to everyone that has given help or feedback to this version: Siegfried-Angel Gevatter, Sam Tygier, Robert Ancell and also to all the translators.
+ 1 - 0 | § ¶Mistelix 0.31Here we have Mistelix 0.31 (a minor release). Mistelix is an open source DVD authoring application also with Theora slideshow creation capabilities for GNU/Linux systems.
What's new in version 0.31:
* 9 bug fixes
* Updated & new Danish, French, Slovenian and Czech translations
* Automake 1.10
Download
The new version can be download it from:
http://mistelix.org/files/mistelix-0.31.tar.gz
MD5SUM: f59ac2506096ecf20989da34c8f60c3a
And it is already packaged for some distributions. If you test it and have questions, you can use the public forum. If you find bug, do report them.
Here we have gbrainy 1.30, two months after the previous major version. gbrainy is a game that challenges your logic, verbal, calculation and memory abilities.
What is new in version 1.30 from the NEWS file:
* Re-architectured for better multiplatform support
* Personal records tracking
* Improved player scoring algorithm
* Better accessibility
* 9 new verbal analogies and a new logic puzzle
* Mallard documentation
* More HIG complaint
* Bug fixes
gbrainy 1.30 is available for download in source code from:
* http://gent.softcatala.org/jmas/gbrainy/gbrainy-1.30.tar.gz
(md5sum 80135619a92a350434471c30832f6106)
Additionally, gbrainy is available for all major Linux distributions.
Let me elaborate bit more on new features and changes.
Mallard documentation
I wrote a first version of the gbrainy documentation using Mallard, that is going to be documentation system for GNOME 3.0. As usual, translators did an amazing job translating so many strings in just few days.
Better Multiplatform support
I have re-architectured gbrainy separating the client side from the gaming logic making it now possible consume its services from different front-ends. For example, I did a native small Winforms client. It is possible to write new clients in most of the popular front-end technologies, including web based.
gbrainy at GNOME Bugzilla
Since two weeks ago, if you want to report a gbrainy bug you can do so using GNOME Bugzilla.
How to help
This is a common question that I get. Let me point out some areas where you can help:
- Play the game and provide feedback about the application.
- Translation to different languages. Check the current status of gbrainy translations.
- Any development aid, including fixes or new Puzzles for the current system (see the development section).
- Ideas for new logic puzzles, memory or calculation trainers.
If you like gbrainy, blog about it and tell your friends!
Debut in Ubuntu Lucid as default game
gbrainy debuts as default game on Ubuntu 10.4 (Lucid Lynx) alpha 2 CD. I want to thank Robert Ancell and Siegfried-Angel Gevatter for their effort on packing the application and their help on QA.
+ 1 - 0 | § ¶gbrainy 1.20Here we have gbrainy 1.20, eight months after the previous major version. gbrainy is a brain teaser game and trainer to have fun and to keep your brain trained. It provides the following types of games:
- Logic puzzles. Games designed to challenge your reasoning and thinking skills.
- Mental calculation. Games based on arithmetical operations designed to prove your mental calculation skills.
- Memory trainers. Games designed to challenge your short term memory.
- Verbal analogies. Games that challenge your verbal aptitude.
What is new in version 1.20 from the NEWS file:
* 6 new games
* Verbal analogies (new type of games)
* New translations
* Bug fixes
gbrainy 1.20 is available for download in source code from:
* http://gent.softcatala.org/jmas/gbrainy/gbrainy-1.20.tar.gz
(md5sum b9ef1fed6da07c6e3c4c8359841d11c2)
Additionally, gbrainy is available for all major Linux distributions.
On top of the already existant translations, in this version debuts the Danish translation by Joe Dalton.
Extending gbrainy
gbrainy can be extended in two main ways:
- Developing new games as extensions. These are external assembly files that gbrainy recognizes at runtime.
- Defining new verbal analogies using an external file.
If you extend gbrainy, please considering contributing your work to be included in gbrainy.
Windows Version
After a year without releasing a new Windows version of gbrainy I have prepared a new Windows version. This new version works much better because it includes newer versions of the GTK and Mono stacks and a few fixes in the installer.
How can you help gbrainy?
This is a common question that I get. Let me point out some areas where you can help:
- Play the game and provide feedback about the application.
- Translation to different languages. Check the current status of gbrainy translations.
- Any development aid, including fixes or new Puzzles for the current system (see the development section).
- Ideas for new logic puzzles, memory or calculation trainers.
If you like gbrainy, blog about it and tell your friends!
+ 0 - 2 | § ¶Human towers during the Mercè FestivalAround 24 September, once again Barcelona celebrates its annual festival. The last blast of summer before the autumn starts, La Mercè is the festival of festivals, where, in just a few days there are hundreds of activities.
The building of human towers (called castells) is a Catalan tradition that goes back two hundred years. Teams of Castellers (the people that builds them) can be seen competing against each other who can build the highest human tower. Every Catalan town has their own team or Colla made up of men, women and children.
This mooring in Sant Jaume square in Barcelona we saw demonstrations of castells (human towers). The most impressive one was performed by the Castellers of Vilafranca (they always dress in green shirts). Today they managed to build a human tower of 2 of 9, one of the most difficult ones to do that they built for the first time in 1995.
Every time that I see human towers demonstrations they remind me of the power of communities and how much can be accomplished by groups of coordinated and motivated people. This idea was already used in one of the Sun Solaris 10 releases (they used castells to illustrate the DVD cover).
Last Sunday I was in Tarragona during the annual festival there (that lasts for more than a week) where also I saw some very good demonstrations. Every town has actually demonstrations during its festivals.
+ 0 - 3 | § ¶Verbal analogies support in gbrainy. Your help is appreciatedFor a long time I wanted to add verbal analogies support to gbrainy. Today the initial support has landed in gbrainy git repository and I will be part of the next major release.
gbrainy verbal analogies are defined in an external XML file that has a very simple format and can be easily extended. This is an example of analogy from the file:
<analogy>
<_question>Which of the following sports is the odd one?</_question>
<_tip>Think of the elements used in the game.</_tip>
<_answer>Water polo</_answer>
<_answer>Basketball</_answer>
<_answer>Tennis</_answer>
<_answer correct = "yes">Cycling</_answer>
<_rationale>It is the only one that does not use a ball in the game.</_rationale>
</analogy>
If you are a hobbyist, teacher or you just like verbal analogies consider donating some to gbrainy (under the same licensing conditions). Please, make sure that they are original.
If you have doubts on how to prepare them or send them to me please just write to gbrainy public forum or me directly (jmas at softcatala.org).
+ 1 - 2 | § ¶Mistelix 0.3Here we have Mistelix 0.3 Mistelix is an open source DVD authoring application also with Theora slideshow creation capabilities for GNU/Linux systems.
What's new in version 0.3
- New Welcome view. When you load Mistelix now you have two buttons that allow you to quick create a new DVD or slideshow project, and also, the list of recent used projects.
- Small UI enhancements. There many small UI enhancements in the main user interface and dialog boxes.
- GNOME Thumbnailing integration. When running on a GNOME system Mistelix uses GNOME thumbnail infrastructure. For example, if you have already browsed the files from Nautilus, Mistelix reuses its thumbnails (faster).
- Possibility to drag files from other applications, including the desktop or file managers.
- Select video time & slide in slideshow for thumbnail. It is possible to select the image from a slideshow that will act as a button in a DVD menu or the frame of the video.
- New slideshows transitions, thanks to contributors.
- Bug fixes. On top of the many fixes introduced during the 0.2x release cycle this version introduces some major fixes too.
Download
The new version can be download it from:
http://mistelix.org/files/mistelix-0.30.tar.gz
MD5SUM: 582fd78dd7ed66610f0d65ffda4cf8a1
And it is already packaged for some distributions. If you test it and have questions, you can use the public forum. If you find bug, do report them.
Contributions
In this version, Mistelix had the following contributors that I want to specially thank:
- Adrián15, Quality Assurance. Many issues reported.
- Siegfried-Angel Gevatter, packages for Ubuntu/Debian that already available in Ubuntu Karmic repositories.
- Pau Iranzo (from SomGnu.cat) for his design for the new Welcome Screen
- Dani Hernandez Juarez for his BarnDoorWipe transitions
- Hector Blanco de Frutos for the Star Wipe transitions
I would like to thanks the GNOME translation community for all the translations updates and the new translations.
How to contribute
There are many ways of contributing to Mistelix. However, let me highlight three:
- Check ideas for contributing if you are a software developer.
- Help making Mistelix available to other languages (see current translations). If you are fluent in other languages, with four hours of work approximately you can translate Mistelix and make it available to more users.
- Help to test and improve it. Mistelix is about users, give it a try and provide your feedback.
- Create slideshows transitions or effects extensions.
gbrainy is a brain teaser game and trainer to have fun and to keep your brain trained.
I have just released version 1.12 that is a minor release that introduces the following enhancements:
* 3 translations updated
* 2 bug fixes (1 major)
gbrainy 1.12 is available for download in source code from:
* http://gent.softcatala.org/jmas/gbrainy/gbrainy-1.12.tar.gz
(md5sum ce9faec1a3d433a9b298604c84559706)
Additionally, gbrainy is available for all major Linux distributions.
Enjoy!