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Archive for the ‘software’ tag

A few reflections on “Dreaming in Code”

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Some years ago I became aware of a software project called Chandler, a personal information manager/calendar/email client being developed by something called the Open Source Applications Foundation, which was started by by Mitch Kapor of Lotus fame. It appeared on my radar for two reasons. First, it seemed an unusually ambitious effort to [...]

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Written by mdorn

August 7th, 2009 at 9:27 pm

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Gnapsack 0.2 released

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Version 0.2 of my client for the Backpack Web Services API, Gnapsack, was released today, and now has a new home. The two main enhancements are Windows compatibility and ability to handle multiple lists.

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Written by mdorn

February 7th, 2007 at 4:03 pm

Trac + Darcs + reStructuredText

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Edgewall Software’s Trac seems to have become something of a standard for agile management of software projects both within the Open Source community and within closed organizations, and after having the opportunity to use it on a recent project, I can appreciate why. It’s simple to setup and manage, and its self-described "minimalistic approach [...]

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Written by mdorn

February 1st, 2007 at 10:50 am

Gnapsack 0.1.0 released

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I have just released Gnapsack, a desktop client for Linux that uses the Backpack API. Check out the site for info, screenshots, etc. This is an open source (GPL) project.
While it only runs on Linux currently, I’m hoping to get someone to help me out with a Windows port. It uses the [...]

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Written by mdorn

April 28th, 2006 at 6:51 pm

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Getting started with Darcs

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The following is a rudimentary set of instructions for setting up, on a Linux server, a Darcs repository which uses the most basic possible method for collaboration, in which a single administrator manually applies patches1 sent him/her via email (automatically, via the darcs send command issued by the contributor).2 Some notes on producing those [...]

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Written by mdorn

April 19th, 2006 at 1:53 pm

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Kill Your Word Processor

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There once was a time when I regarded the word processor as a milestone in the evolution of publishing technology that began with Gutenberg’s printing press. I was astonished at the results that could be achieved when using Microsoft Word in conjunction with TrueType fonts and a low-cost HP inkjet printer. For a few [...]

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Written by mdorn

December 7th, 2005 at 12:42 pm

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A few amateur reflections on Open Source development

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I recently had to add CSV logging functionality to the PloneFormMailer product for a customer. This isn’t the first time we’ve wanted to add some customization to an Open Source project. The temptation in such situations is always to simply make your changes, and maintain your own personal fork of the project. That’s generally the [...]

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Written by mdorn

May 16th, 2005 at 1:45 pm

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