LDE(X)6.3 - 'Whisky'
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LDE(X)6.3 is another major milestone for the LDE(X)6.x system. Developers should be excited as Core 2.1 brings full multi-shell support to LDE(X), based on the pre-existing WSH frameworks in LDE(X)6.2's Core 2.0. In addition we will be bringing full Java runtime support to Core 2.1 so that developers can directly extend the Core system to meet their requirements, with no need for commercial compilers or nasty compatibility layers. This is likely to appear in LDE(X)6.3.1. Limited support for Python scripts is also available for the LDE(X)6.3 release as long as Python 2.4 is installed on the host system. Lua scripting support is available within LDE(X)6.3 post-beta 3 builds.
For users, LDE(X)6.3 delivers the very latest in interface enhancements to your desktop. One major innovation in LDE(X)'s interface systems is the 'preference profile' support which allows huge numbers of preferences to be set at a single click and provides for inheritence of settings from other profiles as well. In addition, you can now configure global (i.e. all interfaces can use them) application popup menu selections in addition to the local (i.e. per-interface) definitions available in earlier releases. Ermintrude 2.5 is the latest update to LDE(X)'s powerful and easy to use default interface. It brings improvements to the multiple monitor support; support for new global preferences; an improved taskbar implementation that allows for task grouping; vwmFloater performance increases; optional desktop icons; stability enhancements and support for the new Profile system in Core 2.1.
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MD5 checksum
10.2 MB
4c8ada900127a9706a6573a2a846b2d5
2.6 MB
6c1ab92d4ae741c1f1a75a580c7de88e
Journal Go to top
31 August 2005 : Translators will find the full set of localisation files on the translators page.
25 July 2005 : The plugins page is now being refreshed - it has been neglected for some time. Documentation updates are on the way ahead of the LDE(X)6.3 release - stay tuned.
18 July 2005 : LDE(X)6.3 RC3 has been released.
26 June 2005 : LDE(X)6.3 RC2 has been released.
12 June 2005 : LDE(X)6.3 RC1 has now been released. elf and bunny have been updated to fix some issues & downloads will be posted here shortly. For now, you can retrieve the interfaces from http://ldex.terica.net/bytehoard. LDE(X)6.2 has been moved to legacy status with this release of LDE(X)6.3 - we encourage all users to upgrade and to let us know their good, or bad, experiences with LDE(X)6.3.
31 May 2005 : LDE(X)6.3 RC1 was delayed by a shortage of developer time in the last few weeks. The subversion repository has seen some activity lately so RC1 should ship shortly.
27 April 2005 : LDE(X)6.3 RC1 is approaching and the SDK is now complete for Core 2.1. Java support will be deferred to a later point release because the component is not yet available for use. Lua scripting has just been added and the Python support has been improved with an upgrade to that particular component. Interfaces and plugins are largely finished and are ready for localisation by volunteers. Expect RC1 within the next month or so.
LDE(X)6.3 is relatively late in shipping compared to the last 6.2 release, but is a huge step forward in the LDE system. Thank you for your patience and also for all the reports, good and bad, about the betas that have been released in the meantime.
6 April 2005 : Updated interfaces are available from the interfaces page. Be aware that the 'quick evar editor' in these updated interfaces is not operational unless used with post-beta 3 LDE(X)6.3. elf 2.0.1 is therefore only useful for those tracking the current distribution via subversion. Bunny 2.0.2 contains this change, but also comes with a bug fix to address the wharf layout settings, making it more interesting to those using LDE(X) 6.3 beta 3.
A preview of the new ambience 3.30 release is to be found on the plugins page. The hotkey editor almost works - it has some issues that are being worked out. The new iTunes support should be good to go, although users will need to update their %LDERootDataLocation%\plugins\ambience\config.rc file. The hotkey editor is the last part of this planned update, although it may be migrated to the Core system at a later point in time.
30 March 2005 : Bunny 2.0.1 has been released, as has elf 2.0. Ermintrude has also been updated. All of these releases follow a small bug fix to solve a common minor issue. Check the interfaces page linked above for the downloads. Thanks to a very helpful post in the forums, the Ermintrude manual has been updated to address some content issues. It is included in the Ermintrude package and also is separately available for review from the Documentation page.
22 March 2005 : LDE(X)6.3 beta 3 is now available. More in the forums. Also bunny 2.0 has been released in its final form.
3 March 2005 : LDE(X)6.3 is still being actively worked on and we're looking for feedback in the forums. The options are to slide some features into post-release addons or to extend the development period until the addons are finished, so that they can be packaged into the final release. Java support may need to be delayed to a point release, irrespective. In the interim, beta 2.1 has been made available. It contains all previous fixes made to beta 2 as well as some component updates.
bunny 2.0rc2 is now available so eager users wanting the latest and greatest can use this against the LDE(X)6.3 beta 2 release.
4 January 2005 : Bunny 2.0 beta 1 has been released and elf 2.0 rc1 has been slightly updated. Both are to be found on the interfaces page - link available above. The plugins page has also been refreshed to update the list of downloads following the beta 2 release of LDE(X)6.3.
29 December 2004 : LDE(X)6.3 beta 2 is now available as an upgrade from beta 1 and also as a full package.
12 December 2004 : Following the release of LDE(X)6.3 beta 1, developer and end-user interfaces are available. The developer interfaces are designed to provided simple working demos of key parts of Core such as fish, therapy and navigator. End user releases of Elf 2.0 and Bunny 2.0 are available, although these are currently still developmental in nature.
1 December 2004 : LDE(X)6.3test2 is available. This is *not* a stable or official release. It is simply provided to allow 3rd party developers to get familiar with this upcoming system. It is a large download, including all three native interfaces and a selection of plugins, so as to give testers access to as much of the new code as possible and allow for bug hunting :).
23 November 2004 : Added a LDE(X)6.3 section to the LDE(X) shots page, including a summary of what has been added/changed since LDE(X)6.2. It saves duplicating the list on this page to refer you there - it will be updated there.
20 November 2004 : LDE(X)6.3test1 is available. This is *not* a stable or official release. It is simply provided to allow 3rd party developers to get familiar with this upcoming system. It is a large download, including all three native interfaces and a selection of plugins, so as to give testers access to as much of the new code as possible and allow for bug hunting :).
21 October 2004 : More work on the LDE(X) system - you can now decline plugins - a useful way of avoiding conflicts between plugins / interfaces given the LS toolset we have to work within. Elf 2.0 alpha 1 has also been coded up, the major change being the provision of the tracker display within the panel at lower resolutions (shared space between the VWM and the tracker). There have also been substantial improvements and feature additions to the WSH toolkit in Core 2.1.
16 October 2004 : The work continues - there have been major changes to the plugin system in particular.
1 September 2004 : The current HTML format Core 2.1 SDK is now available for review. It is not finished as Core 2.1 is still developmental, but will be updated over time to allow developers to comment on, and adapt to, the changes being made.
25 August 2004 : The active development for LDE(X)6.3 has started with code being checked in to subversion on a regular basis. In due course we will have public snapshots available, but for now we anticipate that most people will be running LDE(X)6.2.x. Only those who are contributing code, or are happy to face the risks of using this developmental code, should be considering pulling the trunk code from subversion and running it.
Fixes that are applicable to 6.2.x will be backported where possible, but there will be no backward feature migration to 6.2. Major bugfixes are currently not required for 6.2, but backports of these will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. All new feature work will be done for LDE(X)6.3 to ensure that 6.2 remains stable.
A very preliminary ETA for LDE(X)6.3 to be released is December 2004, but this could change significantly. You should not stop considering LDE(X)6.2 in the hope that LDE(X)6.3 will appear next week - it won't.
GDI+ is required - you can obtain it direct from Microsoft here.
