I have now included multi-threading support in startfgfs and an option to start to start TerraSync along with FlightGear.

So now just by checking a box, scenery can be downloaded automatically for you as you fly.

This has been check into CVS and will be in the next update.

The default template for ACal 3 which I’m designing takes advantage of many CSS methods and PNG features not supported by Internet Explorer. But because I cannot ignore the fact that many people still use the broken browser, IE7 is going to be included and used. This will allow better PNG support and CSS support.

This month is almost done and this is what ACal 3 looks like right now:



As you can see the sidebar on the right side is kind of crowded.

ACal 2.x used a popup window from where you could manage events. What I am doing for v3 is making a sidebar. This sidebar slides over the calendar on the right side and it is semi-transparent so you can still see the calendar underneath.

This sidebar has to be a little crowded in order to hold all the new features that are planned. And we’re not even done yet.

Database Support:

- Currently I’m using MySQL 4.1 and mysqli. Once it’s done I’ll do the SQLite version.

- ACal 3 will not support MySQL versions older than 4.1.6 and will require PHP to be compiled with mysqli. You can of course still use SQLite which is better anyway.

Preferences:

- The preference system is ready to go. It can preload (create if needed), update, and retrieve values. What more do you need?

Alarms:

- Next step is to do an alarm system. It will require a posix compatible system such as Linux, UNIX, or Mac OS X. It will not work on Windows unless somebody wants to do a Windows version.

- About 110 lines of code have been written for it. Which means it’s about 1/3 done.

Templates:

- The template system is pretty much done. Changes will be made as needed but it’s all working.

- The month view template is ready to work. As well as the preferences template.

And that’s about it. The part that will take the longest is events. Especially recurring events and multiday events.

How is that for an event editor? In case you failed to notice, that is the interface used in Apple’s iCal application.

And everybody loves to copy Apple right?

Well I’m going to do my best to copy it into ACal 3.0. You’ll see it by next week.

Progress on ACal 3.0 has been slow but steady.

Unstable snapshots can be downloaded from my public files.

I am currently working on the month view and preferences. This will become the test bed for the database layer. One that is all working I will add the day and week views plus all the features which ACal 2.x has.

I hope to get a beta out in mid February.

MachCMS will most likely skip January. I’m not sure what to do with that project yet.

FlightGear Mac OS X is running wild. There seem to be a lot of bugs in 0.9.8. I am working on an update or patch system where people can download minor updates instead of the whole thing. Much like X-Plane.

I expect to release the first update this month yet.

Mr. Abbas says he’s close to reaching a one month ceasefire with Palestinian militant groups.

He want’s to use this to get a stronger mandate with talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

I personally believe the attacks will not stop even if there is a ceasefire. It is in fact likely that the islamic groups with think this a good time to attack Israel because their guard is more relaxed.

The only way they will reach peace from fighting is by removing the islamic terrorists.

In the article I will try to verse PHP against Python.

The first scripting language I learned was PHP. Just recently, or actually this week I have learned Python.

- Learning it

I found PHP a lot easier to learn for the following reasons.

1. A lot better documentation of the language.
2. Many good examples in the documentation.

I think PHP and Python when equal when it comes to language syntax. I prefer the PHP syntax but Python’s is easier to learn. But in Python, it’s a lot easier to make mistakes than in PHP.

- Usability

PHP is no doubt the best language for dynamic web sites. In fact, that is it’s main purpose. And PHP is the only thing I use for that.

But PHP cannot be used to write good desktop applications because the only toolkit available is gtk-php, not really great if you don’t have a good GTK port. See Mac OS X.

Here comes Python with it’s many toolkits. From Qt to wxWindows. Within two days from not knowing any Python at all I was writing wxPython applications on Mac OS X.

- Verdict

So basically for me it is, use PHP for the web and Python for the desktop. They are both great languages and easy to learn, but use whichever makes the most sense for your purpose.

I have now written a wxPython application for Mac OS X that allows you to choose the aircraft when you start FlightGear.

It will be included in the next release and hopefully make life easier for a lot of people.

For now you will only be able to choose the aircraft but later on other options will be included such as starting location and weather. Eventually if fgrun is never ported to OS X I’ll probably end up doing an entire duplicate using wxPython.

When it’s in a good stable working condition I’ll release a beta.

ACal 3 is currently a working system to a point. No actual calendar functions are available yet. Here’s what is done:

1. Localization Support
2. Template System
3. Database Abstraction Layer

And that’s about all the major things that are done so far.

“Israel has made clear that it will resume contacts if Mr Abbas confronts and reins in the gunmen - but Mr Abbas has based his tactics on talking.

His strategy is to talk to the gunmen to try and co-opt them rather than confront them, and to talk to Israel to try to draw concessions from them.

But this strategy cannot work if ties are cut off with one side, says our correspondent.” - Quote from BBC News

Israel has cut Palestinian contacts until Mr Abbas does something about the terrorists.

I’m personally glad. One thing their correspondent is correct about is that strategy will not work. But it wouldn’t work even if Israel had not done this.

You need to understand the terrorists. They are Muslim’s who believe they are fighting for a good cause and even get rewarded for it in the next life. And if you think that talking with these people will bring peace, you probably also think that if the US would have talked with Iraq a little longer the war in Iraq wouldn’t be happening.

You simply cannot talk to the enemy. Mr Abbas doesn’t even think of the terrorists as his enemy but as fellow palestinians who happen to enjoy killing Israeli’s like most if not all Muslims.

The goal of Mr Abbas is really to take over Israel. Just by taking a look at his strategy tells me that. He wants to draw concessions from Israel. Doing that the palestinians gradually get more land and Israel get’s smaller, before you know it Israel has been replaced by a Palestinian state and then those Muslims will try to take on the whole world, like they are now but with much greater force.

Mr Abbas will not succeed in any of his goals.

You would think that GNU/Linux would have a much larger user base in the desktop area than it currently does because of the following facts:

1. It is free and open.
2. You can do anything you want with it.
3. There is a whole lot of free software available.
4. It’s more secure.
   

But it’s just that. As long as those are the only reasons–while there may be others–people are not going to switch in droves because of those 4 reasons, even though they are good ones. Why?

1. Linux is relatively difficult to use day to day.
2. The command line scares a lot of people.
3. The desktop is unpolished in a lot of areas.
4. The common misconception that there is not much software available.
5. Hardware compatibility in many areas lacks a lot.
6. A lot of people are scared of using something totally new, even if it isn’t that big of a jump.

Apple Comes in



And this is where Apple comes in to play. Mac OS X is the most modern and easy to use operating system (OS) available, but it is viewed as a toy more than an actual computer by so many.

This week Apple released a $500 computer. Many people think that will make more people switch. Why won’t it? It’s still because while most people think Apple makes the best computers and the best OS, it’s simply not taken seriously. The Windows PC stuff is everywhere while Apple usually occupies a corner if even that much.

The iPod and iTunes are a whole different story though.

But for myself, I don’t see any other OS getting any better than OS X for a long time, just go take a look at Mac OS X Tiger and compare it to the best GNU/Linux distro you can find. Windows is simply not an option.