Ensmer 0.1+milestone-2

Question

Hey folks,
I just released a new development milestone of Ensmer that I thought people here might be interested in. Its getting to the point where it kind of looks neat, and is almost to the point where it might be useful.
here's some documentation for this version:
https://ensmer.dev.java.net/doc/core/devel/index.html
Here's the home page:
https://ensmer.dev.java.net/
Here's screenshots:
https://ensmer.dev.java.net/servlets/Pr … folderID=0
Here's a PKGBUILD:
pkgname=ensmer
pkgver=0.1+milestone2
pkgrel=1
pkgdesc="Ensmer is an extensible object oriented 3D interface"
url="http://ensmer.dev.java.net"
license="BSD/Apache style licence"
depends=('j2re>=1.5.0' java3d)
makedepends=(apache-ant)
source=(https://ensmer.dev.java.net/files/documents/2312/11319/file_11319.dat?filename=Ensmer-0.1+milestone-2-src.jar
ensmer)
build() {
mkdir -p $startdir/pkg/usr/bin
mkdir -p $startdir/pkg/usr/share/ensmer
cd $startdir/src
mv file_11319.dat?filename=Ensmer-0.1+milestone-2-src.jar ensmer.jar
jar xf ensmer.jar
cd Ensmer-0.1+milestone-2-src/
ant dist
cp -r dist/* $startdir/pkg/usr/share/ensmer
cp $startdir/src/ensmer $startdir/pkg/usr/bin
chmod a+x $startdir/pkg/usr/bin/ensmer
Here's the ensmer script required by above PKGBUILD:
export ENSMER_HOME=/usr/share/ensmer
export CLASSPATH=$CLASSPATH:$ENSMER_HOME/lib/groovy.jar:$ENSMER_HOME/lib/prevayler.jar:$ENSMER_HOME/lib/j3d-vrml.jar:$ENSMER_HOME/Ensmer.jar
java com.buchuki.ensmer.Ensmer
Here's a java3D PKGBUILD (dependency of Ensmer). AFAIK, there are no versions of this in TUR or extra.
pkgname=java3d
pkgver=1.3.2_build8
pkgrel=1
pkgdesc="Open Java3D project from dev.java.net"
url="http://java3d.dev.java.net/"
depends=( j2re )
source=(https://j3d-core.dev.java.net/files/documents/1674/8522/java3d-1_3_2-build8-linux-i586.jar)
build() {
mkdir -p $startdir/pkg/opt/java/jre
cd $startdir/src
jar xvf java3d-1_3_2-build7-linux-i586.jar
cd $startdir/pkg/opt/java/jre
jar xvf $startdir/src/java3d-1_3_2-build7-linux-i586/j3d-132-build7-linux-x86.jar
I'd love to have some feedback and bug reports. I seriously think this is something worth looking at now, but maybe I'm too easily excited.
In the works: EnsmerMail. Should have a package for that in a week or so.
I didn't post this to 'New and Requested Packages' because I can't really image anybody wanting to put this in their TUR; its pretty new and unknown at the moment.
Dusty

Answer 1

Thanks for the feedbacks! I'm trying to actually care about them right now, lol.
I have issues with using MailDir or mBox for storing messages. The main problem is that Ensmer information is basically stored above the filesystem, so it would be hard to get them into a MailDir or mBox file.
Web-browser.... its doable, I suppose, lol. Its a pretty big undertaking in this context.  I actually visualize networked Ensmer worlds in 3D instead of text-based web browsers inside the 3D world. I think it'll be quite a while before either can be supported. I don't know of any successful/non-alpha Java based gecko web browsers.
The text is already anti-aliased, in a half-assed sort of way. I had to write the text-processing from scratch. The input side of things is pretty ok, but the output does indeed need work. I'm finding you have to move back and forth a bit in the view to position the text at just the right location to be readable. At a certain distance it looks as clear as a bell, but trying to get it there looks a lot like an advertisement for reading glasses.
As for making the texts always oriented towards the user, the display of the messages is performed in the frontend. This means that it can be customized fully; using an OrientedShape3D would probably be all that's needed. I certainly could make this an option, I'll add it to the issue tracker, but as I say its up to the frontend. One thing I like about the messages not being oriented is that they can be rotated to lie flat 'on' the desk or bookshelf when they aren't needed. Also, I'm doing some experimenting with the amount of screen real estate needed to fit words; if you rotate a paper away from you somewhat, you can fit more words on the screen, but the ones farther up the page are harder to read (A long time ago in a galaxy far away....).
Lamp on the desk... good idea, I never thought about that. It couldn't just be a lamp, of course. The whole idea is to be customizeable, and a lamp would look out of place in a non-office type world. But I think I could easily make a backend that polls the mail server, and put a default frontend that looks like a lamp or phrakture's office phone.
Desk drawers. I've been trying to think of the best way to do something like this. This is basically a multiple container problem. As mentioned, I don't want the backend to be tied to the frontend, so I have to abstract the desk drawers idea away from the actual storage. For example, somebody might want to use desk drawers, somebody else might want a filing cabinet, and another person might be looking at pockets in a large coat. These display concepts are all the same, but I have trouble abstracting the backend. I'll look into it at a later date. It would basically be a sort of list/array storage in the back, I guess.
Its impossible right now anyway, the drawers on that VRML desk don't open. It looks like something designed by Terry Pratchett's incarnation of Death.... like where the brush is a part of the dressing table instead of laying on top of it.
There is already functionality in Ensmer to place stuff in containers and then go 'inside' those containers. The default frontend for containers is a butt-ugly box, but that can, of course, be totally customized. It would be possible to make this mimic desk drawers, somehow.
Java.net screenshots. I'll talk to support at java.net. Its strange you've never been able to see them and others don't have any problems. :-S
Thanks for all the ideas!
Dusty