Release History
This is a visual record of those versions of LDE and LDE-X that we can find information on. Purely a nostalgia trip.....forgive us.
The legacy releases are now being made available via the ldexforwindows project on sourceforge.net. You'll find that here.
(Oct 1999)
4(Nov 1999)
5(Mar 2000)
9(Jun 2000)
X(Jul 2000)
X1.5(Sep/Oct 2000)
X2(Oct 2000)
X3(Nov 2000)
X3.4(Mar 2001)
X3.5(Apr 2001)
X3.7x(Jul 2001)
X4(Sep 2001)
X4.5(Dec 2001)
X5(May 2002)
X5.1(Jul 2002)
X5.1.1(Nov 2002)
X5.1.2(Nov 2002)
X5.2(Jan 2003)
X5.3(Feb 2003)
X5.3.2(May 2003)
X6(May 2003)
X6.01(May 2003)
X6.02(June 2003)
X6.03(June/July 2003)
X6.04(July/Aug 2003)
X6.05(December 2003)
X6.1(December 2003)
X6.1.2(July 2004)
X6.2(June 2005)
X6.3(?)
X6.4
LDE R4 (October 1999)
Download here.
LDE Release 4 was the first public release of the LDE system. In 2 months, the initial 1998 prototype LDE system within Leaf Productions (later to become leaf cg and leaf r&d) had seen 4 major iterations (with revisions from the initial 0.0.1 VWM-only build).
The R4 package was the first to really meet the initial design criteria that were drawn up and, for the time, it packed an awful lot of useful features in, but there were drawbacks. The code had to be manually configured, it was also locked to operate at 1280x1024. The CDE and KDE environments had heavily influenced the final interface for LDE due to the use of linux and Solaris machines by several associated contributors. KDE 1.x icons were used to provide the panel content simply because it saved time. Release 4 was created as an NT4-only system, but does work under more recent versions of Windows, with the exception of 'find files'.
LDE R5 (November 1999)
Download here.
With LDE Release 5, the interface was revised using gradients & the PhotoShop files were supplied so users could hand roll their own panel entries. On the surface, it initially appeared as though very little had changed beyond the interface - the ripped KDE icons were still there and the XMMS-styled media panel had been blatently ripped from a BlueSteel theme.
Release 5 was a rapid update to Release 4, based on the feedback and requests from external users, combined with the natural evolution of the concept within leaf. Unfortunately, this particular release has been lost for all time - unless anyone knows any different. All we have is the image above.....
LDE R9 (March 2000)
Download here.
Beyond Release 5, the underlying architecture changed very little - more and more elements were tacked on through to LDE R9. New interfaces were applied and even more features were packed (including transparency, Windows' colour scheme change support, rainlendar/calendar, etc.) in until everything began to significantly creak under the load. Release 9.2 also added initial support for operation at display resolutions of 1024x768.
The configuration panels were new to LDE and all of the code and imagery had been pinched (with permission) from a very neat and clever theme from Phil Varcoe, called Vanilla 2000 Professional. The screenshot below shows this theme and to find more like this, head over to Phil's web site here.
Richard Noakes, then of LiteStep 2000, reviewed LDE R9 and his report is quoted below :
First let me say that I wish to eat a huge amount of humble pie here. Having trawled LS.net for a theme to suit my need for a workplace orientated environment (I earn my living sitting in front of my PC) I decided that LDE-9 was by far the best theme out there, although the "chaos" and "enlightenment-e" both by Omar which I had used previously also are very well designed.
Anyway, having downloaded the "cut-down" version of LDE-9 off LS.net I suffered memory shortages. Even on my 700mhz Athlon with 128 meg of ram the theme would not allow even the simplest piece of multi-tasking without falling over. To put it mildly, I was somewhat disappointed hence my previous review.
However after posting the review here we were contacted by Phil Stopford who was very willing to try and address the problems (all power Phil, why don't all themers care this much?) So after a bit of soul searching I decided to have another go, this time with the full version from Leaf Designs home site, and what a difference!
Firstly let me say the documentation makes the system requirements and amount of editing needed very clear (although maybe with slight overkill IMHO). Firstly I had to change from my previous 1152 resolution to 1280 to use this, secondly I had to be prepared to spend the best part of a day editing the step.rc and the paths.rc file to fit my machine.
I would assume that Leaf design lump all their programmes on one huge c:\programmes\ directory, where mine are spread over three drives and grouped by function, web-design, graphics, dtp etc. The theme makes extensive use of shortcuts and !Bangs to power the programme launcher at the bottom of the screen (see rjn current desktop for a screenshot), and these all need to be edited and cross referenced.
Functionality is probably the most important element of any theme, at least for me, and in this respect LDE-9 is superb, it allows complete organisation of any workplace or corporate environment (it my be over the top for home PC use) in a way I would I could not have imagined. Pull out graphic bars from the main launcher can be docked anywhere on any of the four desktops and !Recycle will restore everything how it should be if you get carried away.
The usual LS desktop popup is of course also there, and while I used this extensively with other themes, with LDE-9 I find myself using it less and less due to the programme launchers vast capabilities.
In addition a side bar (not used for some reason in the default step.rc file included, but found in the redundant step.rc which is also in the zipped download) can be open or closed and is used to house desktop shortcuts. The usual Chronos, Geekamp, etc are included as well as some less well-known modules.
Graphically the elements are beautifully rendered with even the blank templates to change the default programme icons provided in photoshop format with gradient files also supplied, real attention to detail. One point, having used the default wallpapers ( 4 included, the same as provided with "chaos") I felt that I would prefer something more interesting, but having tried several others I have to concede that if you prefer more "in your face" backgrounds as I do then the programme launcher and tear off menus will loose something, and the look become to cluttered. I have therefore switched to the default "chaos" backgrounds. If anybody has a suggestion on a wallpaper to use with this I would be pleased to hear from you via LS2K.
As I have said in my previous review LDE-9 is a superb example of what can be achieved with LS, expect to spend quite a time fiddling to set it up, I would recommend using Litespawn and switching between your current theme and LDE-9 until it is configured, but the result is well worth the effort.
This is now my default theme, and I cannot imagine changing. LDE-X is currently in testing within Leaf, and should be out to selected testers (me,me,me!) within a couple of weeks. Congratulation Phil, on in my opinion the best LS theme currently out there!
Richard J Noakes (rjn)
May 23 2000
Despite the positive aspects of this review, it was clear that a radical re-working of LDE would be required if it was to become the general workhorse that we intended. With this in mind, the summer months of 2000 were focussed on a full and dramatic re-write of the LDE system - LDE Release 10 was to be the beginning of the new LDE Series X environments.
LDE-X R1.01 (June 2000)
Download here.
The first of the next generation LDE-X system, the looks disguised a really phenomenally huge effort in re-coding and re-designing the entire LDE system. Over 400 builds separated the previous R9 releases from the first public release of the final LDE-X R1.0 code base.
As with all releases of LDE, the main interface elements were there. Whilst earlier releases had played with a flat panel and variations on blue-black gradient colour schemes, the move to a new architecture and system presented an ideal chance to change the look of the front-end radically to mark the occasion.
The most obvious improvement in the new system was the new configuration panel. This was a real challenge to implement and would remain a focus of the work through the first 2 integer releases of LDE-X due to the limited scripting experience available. Nearly everything resided in step.rc, resulting in a very complex mess of code behind the scenes, yet an elegant and simple interface front stage. This had the effect of making maintenance and bug hunting quite a burden for the coders.
Warning boxes were added to the system to inform users of choices deemed unwise and so allow the decision to be unmade.
There were technical difficulties with the configuration system such that changing the code anyway in the interface usually meant changing the back-end and often lead to synchronisation errors and configuration options then often failed. Bug hunting was awful..... Still for all that, the configuration system had genuine promise and was always something that was going to stay and be worked on. For an initial release, we were justifiably proud of it. The code was the precursor to the Lovingly Scripted Interface (LSI) that would become a reliable and high performance back-end. None of the original code remains in the LSI, but the principles remain true. Note that the config panel changed little in working principles when compared to later versions in newer releases.
A fundamental and highly beneficial change was the move to LSBox (http://www.blkhawk.de/) to serve all, but one, of the draggable elements of the interface. This was, initially, a highly problematic move for LDE and occasionally caused real headaches due to the heavily developmental natures of both LiteStep (moving to C++) and LSBox at the time. This module had real advantages that were exploited to a great extent in this and later releases. The module holds each 'box' (e.g. the config panel above) in a separate .box file which is read whenever the box is created, providing a method of delivering dynamic content (although to date the box needs to be re-created to show changes in content). | l e a f - r & d | were to rely heavily on this module for all following releases of LDE-X. LSBox also radically changed the way the UI of LDE-X was handled, providing as it did a true gap between the two engines of LDE - the back-end workhouse and the front-end presentation.
The move to LSBox also provided a great improvement in the general responsiveness of the system. Prior to LSBox, all the interface elements were delivered by a shortcut system such as that provided by EasyCuts. The load on this single component often caused a great deal of problems. Transferring all this data away from the main code into separate files meant that the amount of data being loaded was vastly reduced, leading to faster loading and recycling. Further, as the code for these elements was only processed when called, the memory overhead was minimal and would be released once they were closed by the user.
A side effect of the amount of work in getting the new code to work reliably was that the EFBs were not available with R1.0 of LDE-X. They were re-implemented in a later update.
The beta testers outside Leaf Productions (as | l e a f - r & d | was formerly known) were usually delivered a new build almost daily - the policies changed with the development of later releases once we became aware of the kind of fatigue and time this cost both parties. The number of testers and the frequency of builds are now much more tightly controlled and the whole arrangement is more carefully managed to prevent fatigue and over-work for external testers. There are a few users who remain considered to be the most demanding and these will always have access to front line code as they need it.
The initial fervor surrounding the published screenshots of this LiteStep-based system was very flattering and when the promised feedback from testers was handled, the number of issues almost overwhelmed the team here. Whilst the system worked here, we had yet to recognise that the code was very sensitive to other systems. It was a hard learning curve and one which has provided lasting lessons to be seen in newer versions of LDE-X.
Lessons were also hard learnt about the occasionally frustrating fickel nature of the community around LiteStep. With so much work hidden behind the scenes and the genuine relief and perfect joy that came with the release of the final LDE-X R1.0 build, the appreciation for what lay behind the front of the system was rarely there. We did too good a job of hiding the work and also the frequency of the screenshot releases combined with the huge development time had naturally turned people away.
We had always developed LDE for our own use & had never before performed so much work on the system and never had the entire system been rewritten from scratch. We now had a foundation on which LDE could be developed without such a draining effort....well almost. We would not want to do it again.
LDE-X R1.5 (July 2000)
Download here.
The 1.5 release of LDE took the new architecture present in LDE-X R1.0 and gave it a little shake-up. The top shot is an early preview and the lower shot is the shot from the only final version we have here.
The panels were changed for a slightly fresher and more interesting look (not shown in the shot above, but it bore some resemblance to the panel scheme in LDE-X R2.0). The beginnings of the mediacentre system could also be seen in the screenshot above - the old tiny controls having been replaced with something easy to see and use. Additional cosmetic changes to various parts of the UI were evident from the popups to general efforts to tidy up some of the rougher panel elements.
Changes to the transition code and fixes were also put in place for the new Windows 2000 Professional operating system - all previous versions of LDE had been developed under NT4.
LSBox had been constantly developed through the life of R1.0x and with the new R1.7 release of this module, the support for loading Wharf modules was utilised to provide access to previously unavailable components.
The release of 1.5 turned into an extended development programme with iterations from f to n ahead of the work on the second generation of LDE-X, adding support for displays running at 1024x768 for the first time in LDE's history. The re-implementation of the old Expanding Folder Bars was also part of the LDE-X R1.5 cycle and desktop controls were also added with the TextShortcuts module. This was a very beneficial change as changing definitions proved easier and no longer did users have to add their applications to the panels. We could also use the module to report version information and beta status notices to users.
The configuration back-end code was also the subject of work to fix errors and the single large script file that had been broken out of the step.rc file with R1.0 was now further broken apart and the script files relocated in a dedicated folder to be loaded at the start-up of LDE-X. Release 1.5 also added the ability for the user to back-up and restore their configurations at any time. It was provided as an insurance policy against misfires in the still awkward configuration back-end.
LDE-X R2.0 : choice (September-October 2000)
Download here.
The new interface developed for LDE-X R2.0 was made available along with a service update for 1.5n. Aside from the new interface, the development of R2.0 was a much more unfocussed undertaking than previously seen for LDE or LDE-X. There were many attempts to try and fix the scripting core code, but it became clear that this would not happen without some real power in the scripting core. For a 'long' time, the development stalled - there were many things that wanted to be added, but it was not an easy thing to do with the existing scripting support for LiteStep.
During restarted development of LDE-X R2.0 (ignoring the scripting issues), a number of additions meant that we went far beyond the original release spec. for R2 - R3.0 development began and R2.0 was shelved. The formal release of LDE-X R2.0 was not really announced as the work on R3.0 ('Wilhelm') marched along.
The public release of the final R2.0 code-base was actually made after we had finished the R3.0 development. The original R3.0 LSI code was retro-fitted to this version (again another perculiarity with R2) due to its superior stability and reliability (following a complete re-write after TextEdit 2 was shipped).
LDE-X | LSI R3 (October 2000)
Download here.
LDE-X R3 became known as LDE-X | LSI very late in development and was a key release in the LDE 'story'. Complete with the new hi-tech and futuristic look, a completely re-written, state-of-the-art back-end configuration engine was developed. This system was retrofitted to R2 for R2.03 SE due to the sheer flexibility and raw power that it provides. We were EXTREMELY proud of this and much of the credit goes to Tony Chang for all his hard work. Without TextEdit 2 and his technical assistance, we doubt that the end result would have been so cool.
The LSI tag referred to the new 'Lovingly Scripted Interface' engine that configured, maintained and provided the front-end of LDE-X | LSI R3. The LSI back-end was completely code independent of the front-end so that there was no longer any need to maintain the scripts with changes to the front-end. As long as the markers were used, the changes would be made. What this meant was pure and complete freedom. Over 30 hours worth of development time went into re-writing and implementing the back-end engine and the integration protocol with the front-end.
The LSI pervaded all aspects of LDE and was being extended as required, quickly and easily as features were requested and implemented. It was an unmitigated success.
The new LSI engine also warranted a new set of interfaces that the user could use to exploit its power. The configuration panel was duly revamped (more on this in a minute), as was the LSRes panel. The level of refinement in the LSI also deserved a brand new interface & so it naturally got one in the form of the hotbox. All credit to Alias|Wavefront and their fantastic Maya software, the hotbox was an ingenious idea and we pinched it. From this interface you could perform some of the more frequent actions quickly and easily; the user could add actions to this as required. As with the configuration panel and LSRes panel, it was fully integrated with the LSI so it responded to your choices and decisions.
Linking LDE with the standard Windows(TM)(R) Explorer desktop/file browser, we also provided controls to control certain appearance parameters such as animated menus and autoraise functionality - these options all controlled through the LSI to make sure that the controls throughout the system were synchronised whereever you choose to work from.
Combined with the power of the new LSI engine, this version of LDE-X also greatly exploited the new multithreading support in the LiteStep core files. Running in over 20 threads, chosen to maximise speed and efficiency, LDE-X | LSI R3 became the fastest version of LDE-X yet seen and probably beat later LDE releases for load time (until version 4).
Going hand-in-hand with the new 'Wilhelm' interface, the new documentation (HTML) effort's results also saw the light of day in new colours and clearer navigation. A new quick start guide was added and the documentation overhauled to remove dated and otherwise inaccurate information.
Exploiting the new power of the LSI, the panels and AEBs were given toggles to allow the user to turn off the previously mandatory location memory. This was implemented on an individual level and was later accompanied by a global toggle. This sounds a minor change and on a code level was, but in terms of usability, it was a real benefit.
Hotkeys toggled most of the panels now and the definitions were been made clear throughout the system through the use of tooltips or other means. This facilitated learning and allowed the user to concentrate on more important matters. Further, hotkeys were added to allow control of the origin point for XProp as a nod towards the graphic designers here and elsewhere.
The use of jDesk allowed some vast improvements to be made. The support for mouse + keyboard combinations to carry out commands was seen as an attractive option very early on and the use of jDesk's more flexible desktop area management soon gave rise to two new modes for your desktop - full screen mode that will allow you to run your applications full screen, whilst the default mode would allow you to get access to your taskbar. An additional capability that gave access to your panel at all times is there as well. All options covered then.
With this version of LDE-X, we also completely re-worked the way that the resolution ports were handled. The LSI engine was shared across all versions and an additional 1600x1200 port was added.
The configuration back and restore routines were re-written to work with the new architecture and the resolution change scripts were also updated with these changes.
The old multiple popups were brought into a single popup complete with scrolling support.
The new changes with the LiteStep development builds also reduced the workload for the LSI as some locations were now pre-defined by LiteStep. These were utilised fully.
The omission of a start menu style gadget in the taskbar was also addressed with this release so that users could get their popup at any time.
LDE-X | LSI also provided support for the juKeys module with grouping support that allowed users to avoid conflicts with their applications by changing groups in realtime.
Volume sliders also made an appearance for the first time in LDE-X | LSI R3 and worked on a per-channel basis.
The release of a Windows 2000 compliant system tray component increased the usefulness of the system for those running Microsoft's latest and arguably best OS yet.
LDE-X | LSI R3.4 (November 2000)
Download here.
A major update to the LDE-X | LSI Release 3.x code provided various new features and stability improvements. Between Release 3.0 and Release 3.4, location memory for the AEBs and the numerous panel interfaces was made optional and the hooks between the LSI and the interfaces were extended deeper and further. The new interfaces such as the HotBox and configuration panel were refined with time and based on the usage patterns. The single popup implementation that appeared in Release 3 was returned to a multiple popup mode to greatly increase ease and efficiency of use.
Release 3.4 also saw the file based debug mode appear for the first time, designed to help the development progress faster and with fewer bugs. The application definitions were moved from bangpaths 2 to mzScript, breaking backward compatibility of these definitions for the first time in the history of LDE. Bangpaths was completely replaced by a brand new, more flexible use of mzScript throughout.
LDE-X | LSI R3.5 (March 2001)
Download here.
Continuing from the original release 3, | l e a f - r & d | went on to greater heights with release 3.5. This has generally been seen as the most stable and feature rich of all the legacy systems and the contributors and users of this particular release have generally had a very soft spot for it.
The LSI gained a fully integrated file-based debugging output for the LSI. More significantly, with a new approach to the coding & include support in LiteStep, unprecedented degrees of integration were possible. As a result, a single set of files could be used, with the LSI performing all necessary changes for differing resolutions or operating systems. The use of include files meant that monolithic code base updates (such as step.rc) were no longer necessary when a single area was changed.
The benefit was a core set of 62 files, with a code base size of ~5000 lines, as opposed to the initial 186 files with a code base size of nearer 10000 lines (would be 15000 with the debugging code in place!).
The LSI now was responsible for all operations except config backup/restore and the recycle event. This gave | l e a f - r & d | much greater control and flexilibity.
There were various usability enhancements as well. The hotbox gained a close gadget and the gadgets were all harmonised throughout these panels. The addition of experimental feature support would allow beta code to be shipped inside standard updates, so avoiding the need to set up dedicated beta programmes, freeing the development team from the additional burdens that brought.
With release 3.5, the team also began to look farther afield to systems like Juice, but they never came to fruition (ha!).
LDE-X | LSI R3.7 (April 2001)
Download here.
The 3.7 releases started with a single maintenance build for Release 3.5 and then became a development series for a targetted 3.8 release. This release never actually made it due to the creation of fish and the LDE(X)4 system. Release 3.71, the maintenance release for LDE-X | LSI R3.5 fixed some compatibility issues with post-17th January 2001 LiteStep 0.24.x builds - due to parser changes in LiteStep, the 3.0-3.5 LSI engine had broken.
Release 3.72 was a late update that fixed some irritations at 1024x768 and had a series of related LSI fixes across the system. This is the final 3.7x release that is available - the rest of the 3.7x series is lost to time following the abortion of the 3.8 development effort.
Release 3.8 was planned to be a significant update to the 3.7 code base. The separate configuration panels were to be merged into a single, tabbed, interface to reduce the overheads in re-building the panels with new features, etc. Several usability enhancements were planned to debut in 3.8, including a more efficient use of space in the panels and clearer status indicators.
The template interfaces were pioneered in the 3.8 development cycle, later to appear in a revised form in LDE(X)4. These interfaces were only possible due to LSBox improvements (and in early development builds for 3.8, some ugly graphical workarounds). The internal code for 3.8 also benefitted from some major re-engineering to make it much more flexible and easier to update.
The 3.8 development code eventually dropped the graphical configuration systems, inherited the fish prototype backend engine and saw even greater changes to become the development code for LDE(X)4.
LDE(X)4 (July 2001)
Download here.
The LDE(X)4 system was a complete re-write of all of LDE, retaining very little in terms of the code from previous versions (except the later 3.8 development/prototype/proof of concept builds). As a re-write, it suffered its fair share of teething problems, but the changes were required in order to make the system far more flexible for future development and customisation.
The HotBox seen in LDE-X | LSI R3.x was thrown away. It was too big and cumbersome in every day use - a desire to be able to open areas by function (e.g. panels, modules, etc.) rather than an all-in-one system drove much of this. A densification of the content would also help to make it much more usable. HBox2 was the result of this effort and was designed to work in much the same way as the menu system seen in discreet's 3dsmax 4 package. The result was all we could have hoped for and proved an instant success here, to a much greater extent than its predecessor.
The long-standing hassles from the non-dynamic nature of the panel launcher also drove much of the change in the underlying system - the development of a tracking system (via the Uncle system that will be mentioned shortly) for all UI elements & a greater implementation of LSBox provided huge benefits in this area. Moving graphic content to a size that was compatible with both the AEBs and the panel launcher meant that entries were now portable quickly and easily to and from AEBs and the panel launcher.
Template approaches across the whole interface allowed the implementation of interface schemes. These allowed the customisation of large areas of the interfaces & each individual user could retain their own settings for some features (e.g. popup operation and interface schemes amongst others).
A brand new approach to media control was found in the ambience system. A single panel, with gadgets that activated the underlying support mechanisms, allowed for remote control of both WinAMP and Sonique 1.x as well as providing control for an internal MP3 player provided by the grdAMP component. Volume controls and a status readout completed this useful facility.
The entire backend system was replaced by a brand new approach, called fish. It was as integrated as the old LSI and served the same functions with greater flexibility, performance and reliability whilst reducing all overheads by the use of generic functions and clever uses of dynamic variable data. The use of mzScript with TextEdit 2.x (modified by leaf r&d) allowed expression based operations in a really innovative and independent way.
The Uncle system saw the light of day with LDE(X)4.1 and was based off the fish code. Uncle was responsible for tracking which panels were open and then correctly handling events such as toggling the visibility of those elements. A fringe benefit of this was a substantial reduction in the amount of code within LDE that was related to panel events - Uncle provided a generic set of functions that could be used instead, increasing reliability and performance. Status was logged only in memory for the duration of any LDE(X)4.x session. If LDE(X) terminated in any way, this information would be lost, but cross-session handling would only arrive in LDE(X)5 in any case.
LDE(X)4.5 (September 2001)
Download here.
LDE(X)4.5 was the last release to officially work under Windows 95/98/Me. The changes in LDE(X)4 had already yielded a substantial improvement in all areas (performance and usability being the most significant) and also the interface was dramatically more flexible.
With LDE(X)4.5, the changes made continued to improve the multi-user operation of LDE(X) so that more features worked in these environments. These initial efforts were to be extended with the LDE(X)5 system, but provided a certain degree of flexibility in workgroup scenarios. Module choices and user options were not handled for multiple users, but application definitions, interface schemes and similar preferences were.
LDE(X)5 (December 2001)
Download here.
LDE(X)5 was a significantly different animal from earlier versions of LDE in that it became a restricted distribution due to its constant developmental nature (there was no hard target for LDE(X)5, unlike previous efforts). By making it a restricted system, it was possible to ensure that all users would be contactable for updates and reports. The restriction was simply that a freely available serial number had to be requested for each released build - automatic notification for known users was also implemented.
LDE(X)5 was the first system to truly handle multiple users with a respectable degree of robustness. The multi-user aspect had taken a lot of work and required substantial re-engineering of all areas. With this move to a much more flexible system, the support for non-Windows 2000 / Windows XP operating systems was also removed.
LDE(X)5 also gained gesture recognition using the developmental gestures module & an effort was planned to port the Palm lexicon into gestures syntax so that pen usage would be possible.
With this revision, LDE(X) gained a suite of interface effects, such as variable (per-user and per-element as well as focus-sensitive) degrees of alpha blending for both LDE interfaces and also for applications.
Internal components of the backend engines were also tweaked to work better with the multithreaded approaches available in LiteStep - substantial increases in performance were evident from these moves.
LDE(X)5 also moved a lot more options and component controls into the per-user system, compared to earlier versions, yielding a surprisingly lean system from the changes that were made.
LDE(X)5 also gained supported for normal/reverse colour schemes in the panel launcher - something that gave the interface schemes an additional breath of life (interface schemes without the reverse images would also continue to work without problems).
The therapy system also debuted with LDE(X)5 and took on the duties of initial configuration at runtime - LDE(X)5 would now self-configure (using therapy) to handle changes in the working resolution (1024x768, 1280x1024 or 1600x1200) at start-up. The user would no longer need to worry & LDE(X)5 could still be made to configure itself as required if the user changed resolution during the current login. With therapy2 introduced towards the end of the main development effort, this really completed the automation of the environment - therapy2 was leaner and more flexible than the original.
therapy (and therapy2) also worked with the updated Uncle2 system to better handle interface element tracking. An optional benefit, therapy2 with Uncle2 could re-build the environment just as each user left it. All panels (except HBox2) would remember their visibility and restore themselves, if desired by the current user, in the way that user left them. Combined with the location memory, this proved to be a popular system.
LDE(X)5.1 (May 2002)
Download here.
LDE(X)5.1 was an unofficial project within leaf r&d (from the public release point of view) due to lacklustre interest in LDE(X)4.x and LDE(X)5.
A revolution in ease of configuration and the dynamic interface was part of this extensive update to the 5.0 code base. Great effort was invested to make the whole system as easy to configure as possible. Adding content to AEBs, etc. was vastly simplified and the move to full LSBox usage also meant those changes took effect without restarting LDE(X).
A dramatic increase in speed, reliability and decrease in memory usage all followed extensive work on the script engines - gHost was the result of merging many previously independent, yet cooperative systems & the merging provided substantial benefits.
The panel launcher also became much more useful following the implementation of a number of modes of operation, such as the ability to toggle whether it appeared on top or not & whether it should auto-hide ot not.
Many existing bugs from 5.0 were squashed and by updating a number of modules, leaf r&d could achieve things that previously were unavailable, such as dialog-based configuration of some important areas, without having to force users to edit code directly.
Following requests from one important user, the LDE(X)5.1 system now locates all its support files more 'sensibly' than before and moves existing support files automatically from the earlier releases.
LDE(X)5.1's graphical interface also saw updates to provide animation for some actions and more feedback when necessary.
LDE(X)5.1's major enhancement was the development of a plugin system that allowed anyone to add features to the system without any manipulation of the core code, with the plugins being entirely optional and unrestricted in operation or features. Much of the original feature set was moved out of the core and into this system as LDE(X)5.1 neared completion.
Carter also became the first revision to work at any resolution automatically, thanks to the changes made in the LiteStep engine. Until this point, workarounds had only provided support for 3 resolutions.
LDE(X)5.1.1 (July 2002)
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LDE(X)5.1.1 was an update to the 5.1 code that improved compatibility with the yet-to-be-released 0.24.7 LiteStep revision. It also dramatically improved the plugin system and tidied up some of the documentation and internal code. One new feature was added - the ability to use popups rather than LSBox components for the AEBs, etc.
LDE(X)5.1.2 (November 2002)
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LDE(X)5.1.2 was developed to run under LiteStep 0.24.7; it used less memory and was more stable than preceding 0.24.6-based LDE releases.
The 5.1.2 update also improved some of the options and features already found in LDE(X), such as variable panel launcher autohide sensitivity, enhanced floater components, dialog closure effects, etc. The usual bug hunt eliminated the final few pesky critters, making 5.1.2 even more robust.
LDE(X)5.1.2 also ended the leaf r&d development of LDE as leaf moved entirely over to linux based platforms on a rolling programme that begun in July 2002. The deployment of SuSE-based linux distributions within leaf reduced the Windows usage to the equivalent of a legacy base. As such, any and all support for GPL software that was made available by leaf or any part of leaf was terminated, effective 1st October 2002.
Phil continued to develop from the LDE(X)5.1.2 code and LDE(X)5.2 was released later in November 2002. LDE(X) as a name was to be retained with the condition that no ties to leaf r&d were to remain in the code or documentation by the end of 2002.
LDE(X)5.2 (November 2002)
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LDE(X)5.2 was little different to the development platform that was LDE(X)5.1.2 - ambience and the mail plugins were removed due to compatibility issues with LiteStep 0.24.7. It was the first public release of LDE not to carry the leaf branding. This change in ownership took effect at the end of 2002.
LDE(X)5.3 (January 2003)
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LDE(X)5.3 represented a significant update to the LDE(X) interface and code. This was the first revision to include a change to the tasks management system; a full taskbar implementation made this much easier. This also was accompanied by a set of options that allowed the operations performed by each mouse button to be set.
This revision moved the gestures support to a plugin system along with the floater interfaces, XProp and WinCtrl. Support for preferences for popup sub-menu expansion behaviour was also added in this update and was (in click mode) supplemented by an in-popup network browsing menu.
LDE(X)5.3 also incorporated a few changes in relation to the panel autohide system (broken due to lsbox issues) and a few minor bug fixes to the 5.2 code. Upgrading processes were also introduced to make the user file updates much easier in future versions - a very welcome change.
LDE(X)5.3.2 (February 2003)
Download here.
LDE(X)5.3.2 brought in an updated pre-release LiteStep 0.24.7 engine that was radically improved compared to the previous engines. The preference set was also extended to allow users to individually set their desktop labels colours - a small, but useful adjustment. More significantly, solutions to avoid hard-coding of plugins were implemented whilst a revamped plugin system was delayed to Release 6 to retain compatibility within the 5.x releases.
More interface enhancements were added, including system tray hinting support; mouse wheel support for changing desktops and also a fledging system to update the interface following certain preference choices (dramatically reducing full restarts of LDE(X) although these may occasionally be necessary for activating modules or certain plugins).
LDE(X)6 (May 2003)
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LDE(X)6 represented a completely new generation of LDE(X). Taking the highly refined interface and scripting systems of 5.3.2 as a base from which to work, the entire structure was overhauled. The scripting systems were migrated into a new 'Core' and the interface was then 'layered' on top of the Core system. The Core system and the interface essentially became separate redistributable packages. The benefits in terms of development were huge.
LDE(X)6.01 (May 2003)
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LDE(X)6.01 was a small bug fix focussed update that followed the release of Release 6. The newly added (to beta 3 of LiteStep 0.24.7) support for the operating system's DDE was made available as an option in the configuration menu for LDE(X)6.01 as well.
LDE(X)6.02 (May 2003)
LDE(X)6.02 brought fixes to resolve some issues with spaces in paths and filenames. A batch file was added to ease access to the LDEData folder for those happy to configure via the command prompt; ease of configuration was also improved with commenting of the user desktop source file.
A number of subtle bugs were eliminated and support for user defined variables was also added for those who asked for them.
LDE(X)6.02 also added support for changing the appearance of the progress bar. This implementation was changed in LDE(X)6.03.
Download here.
LDE(X)6.03 (June 2003)
Download here.
LDE(X)6.03 was a significant update to the preceding 6.x releases (6.0 through to 6.02). It introduced a standard by which alternative interfaces could be made available to users (using Core 1.1). Additionally, the environment gained icon package support so providing an additional opportunity for customisation, along with the existing interface schemes and interface plugins and the (new to Core 1.1) provision for customised progress feedback.
LDE(X)6.04 (June/July 2003)
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LDE(X)6.04 was a bug fix focussed update to 6.03 and also brought some experimental features into the code (panel autoraise and limited panel autohide support).
LDE(X)6.05 (July/August 2003)
Download here.
LDE(X)6.05 comprised the very early developmental releases of LDE(X)6.1. The later development was done under the LDE(X)6.1 label.
LDE(X)6.1 (December 2003)
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LDE(X)6.1 was the first community-driven release of LDE(X), taking advantage of various contributed code to improve aspects of its operation. It also marked the move of the code onto a public development stage via sourceforge.net.
Major ease of use improvements were made for this release : simplifying the desktop icons configuration; reducing menu clutter; re-inclusion of the improved browser plugin for Windows Explorer's desktop icons; a brand new, single volume PDF manual for users and developers alike.
Several major changes were also made in the interests of improved performance and memory usage : i686 recompiles of LiteStep 0.24.7 and various heavily used modules; revised plugin startup code.
New features were also thick on the ground : an expose-inspired, scaleable VWM display; scrollable system tray; single panel mode (integrates the topbar into the panel launcher to sit above or below it); layout options for the topbar; greatly improved configuration backup/restore features, complete with a new 'archive backup' feature, all of these thanks to Scott; dual CPU support in the trackerfloater; abilities to move the focussed window to other workspaces in relation to the current workspace.A significant change to the environment was the inclusion of Scott Kearn's (Amtal) WSH scripts into the Core and Ermintrude - using standard languages (javascript), this potentially opened the door to a larger developer audience, as well as providing a more shell-independent footing for LDE(X) in the future.
100 minutes of video tutorials were also recorded and released to introduce the LDE(X) environment and key aspects of its usage and configuration.
LDE(X)6.1.2 (December 2003)
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LDE(X)6.1.2 is the second service release to LDE(X)6.1 and is quite a significant one in several ways. Of importance to many users, compatibility with IE5.x and WScript<5.6 has been greatly improved, making LDE(X)6.1.2 work correctly under Windows 2000, thanks to the hard work of a couple of beta testers and Amtal. Core1.2b contains a Windows 2000 compatible build of ckHotSpots as well to complement this. Even better, there have been updates to two gHost services - spring and progress. To match the customisability of the WiSH-based progress systems, we now have support for all manner of progress feedback supported natively under the LS scripting system. Spring has gained support for arguments to be passed - such as pin and close, which prove useful to control popup menus in the host interface. AboutEx is now available, and always loaded, within Core1.2b due to its perceived usefulness, but is not tied in unless interface providers make it accessible via !aboutex.
Ermintrude2.2b is also included in this update, taking advantage of the Core1.2b updates, but also including a set of changes all of its own. There are a few bug fixes in this update - the hotbox now calls the 2D AEB correctly; central panel gadgets for layer browsing in the panel launcher were inverted in their operation. There have been few new features, but there is now a notes plugin and a new scheme is also included in the update. The major interface related improvement is likely to be missed by most users, but it is now possible to close down the panel launcher within the current session without getting a silent crash. This resolves a long standing issue, but requires that plugin authors correctly register any content they add to this part of the interface. Stock and dev team plugins have already been updated and yet remain backward compatible with earlier releases. Plugins now run a separate little chunk of code to ensure that their support files are in place - this should eliminate some of the confusion associated with these extensions.
3rd party interfaces will also now properly work from this update forwards, thanks to the resolution of a subtle bug in earlier builds - developers take note!
Translations should also now be much more extensive as Christian Buffin (jesus_mjjg) has identified hard-coded strings and these have now been eliminated - translators take note!
The Windows 2000 compatibility is extended with the support DLL msvcp60.dll now included within the installer. It will not be installed if a newer version already exists on the host operating system (this file is present on Windows XP and is usually found on most Windows systems due to the widespread use of its facilities). This file will not be uninstalled once installed due to its shared nature.
LDE(X)6.2 (July 2004)
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LDE(X)6.2 was a milestone release for the new development team. The natural evolution of the feature set and internal code was greatly accelerated by having a focussed and committed team - that so much was accomplished in such a short time was a great indication for the future.
Incentives for OTS2 followers to take a look at LDE(X) : support for OTS2 themes and preferences (pre-installed, per-user and global); full netloadmodule support; developer guides for standards support and LDE(X)-migration of interfaces and code.
Several major changes were also made in the interests of improved performance and memory usage : UI-independent icons and plugins were implemented as resources to eliminate duplication of content and so decrease disk footprint and any maintenance duties become a single step; full Windows XP SP2 qualification has been performed; continuing use of abstractions of complex function calls, argument-driven single function operation determination and code re-use to result in readable, but tightly optimised code with full garbage handling.
New features for users were also thick on the ground : the new and improved Ermintrude 2.4 interface; Updated calendar component (allows you to review your Outlook appointments/tasks direct from LDE(X)); new or improved analog clock, gradient wallpaper, window control and Explorer desktop plugins; ambience 3.11 media focussed plugin; easy to use LDM shell swapper; completely new 'First Run' screen; extensive translation support.
New features for LDE(X) developers : Separation of WSH and LS-native engines - also allows addition of other scripting engines into Core 2.0; Windows XP SP2 qualified WSH engines; baseN and string manipulation via LS-native gHost service (CatsCradle); mzScript pre-1.0 ready code throughout (simpler syntax and great list handling, but incompatible with earlier mzScript releases); LDE(X) UI change code has been abstracted for developer use; fully utilised translation framework in all areas - currently with French and German translations (English is the default).LDE(X)6.3 (June 2005)
Download here.
LDE(X)6.3 brings upgrades to all areas : Core (2.1), LDM, Ermintrude (2.5), the plugins and the plugin system itself and also the icon system. Workflow has also seen improvements with the implementation of global AEB popups in addition to the traditional local AEB popups.
AEB Popups: Local (interface-specific) implementation of task-segregated application menus now supplemented by global implementation.
Core 2.1: Converse 2.3.1 (ckDialog upgrades); updated, comprehensive SDK documentation (HTML based); major upgrade to the maths engine (mzScript update to handle large numbers, floats and integers correctly; poInt service); revamped and modularised list service; autohide service improvements; localisation framework updates and additions (including Romanian translation that was backported to 6.2.1); stack service integrated; inclusion of Profile service that applies a stack of settings in one step; inclusion of Cache service that runs multiple commands from a stack in one step; upgraded native navigator service; spring service updated to be generic; WSH scripts can now parse .js files as includes; elimination of reg.exe dependency; improved registry manipulation code; ability to suppress all notifications from WSH Core added; Uncle 3.6 (support for marking interface elements as 'broken' so that they are handled more carefully during show/hide/toggle events; error handling for missing files/folders; single function syntax added); error handling for installation folder other than 'LDE(X)'; spring 1.3 bringing functional improvements (local/global AEB support); limited support for running Python scripts; support for localisation of the WSH systems; crontab styled service for timed events; quick editor for hotkeys; comprehensive HTML SDK reference for Core 2.1, complete with examples.
Ermintrude 2.5: Expose-mode vwmFloater transparency enhancements; multiple monitor fixes; elimination of redundant support components; integration of global support preferences for some features; addition of xTaskbar component (used by default) to taskbar to bring grouping amongst other improvements; added options to turn on/off the desktop shortcuts; workaround for LSBox bugginess on 4th panel refresh call; New 'compact' profile added in addition to the 'default' profile; code clean-up; refresh of the 'graphite' scheme; experimental xPopup feature added.
Icons: Aliases framework added.
LDM: New default look added.
Plugins: Ability to enable individual plugins across all/some interfaces (that support them) along with their settings; fix to xProp plugin; ambience 3.20; update to sidebar 2; upgrade to RAR plugin; xLabel plugin upgrade; added ability to forcibly decline the load of plugins (prevents collisions with interface-native features).
Addons: bunny 2.0, elf 2.0LDE(X)6.4 (?)
Download here.
LDE(X)6.4 is currently in the early stages and various parts of the system are likely to be backported to LDE(X)6.3 as 6.3.x updates. The main focus of work on 6.4 during Q4 2005 is extending some of the component modules to simplify and perhaps eliminate some of the configuration requirements that have been in place to date. The work can be tracked in the SVN repository until a development snapshot is released.
Core 2.2: mzScript 1.0RC3 - fixes the !varremove [variable][variable] command, improves the logging system (autodelete large log file, better formatted output, disable alert boxes when logging), !refresh now works (fewer restarts); preliminary implementation of an effects system using grdmagick and lsdynamic; internal changes to allow code to be flagged as engineering (supplements the end-user experimental flag); experimental use of the sidestep fork of the LiteStep engine.
Plugins: Various scripting fixes for the updated mzScript component.
Addons:
bunny 3.0: planned reworking of the wharf system.
elf 2.1: support for custom tiling parameters in the launcher area; UI now checks for missing scheme variables and defines them with standard values (allows legacy schemes to be used).
What should be clear by now is that LDE is one of the most refined, customisable and full featured environments using LiteStep. It continues on a slower basis than used to be the case - it's driven by the enthusiasm of its users more than ever.
