sunday-lab

My Blog was Moved

2009-11-22T13:24:00.003+09:00

Thank you for your visiting. I moved this blog to wordpress.com, because I wanted to check features of wordpress App. :)

http://minahito.wordpress.com/

My all existing entries were migrated to the new blog. Please, change your bookmark, or bookmark it if you didn't add my blog to your bookmark!

XC Download

2009-07-17T10:02:00.002+09:00

I’ve released an application called "XC Download Test". That is a test implementation of the agent who checks updates, downloads MODs and uploads those to your server. The agent will make it fun to build your site and keep it. But, things you can do with XC Download are very few, because it implements only a couple of features for test.

This agent application tries to download all items that an item you specified depends on. You may test the behaviour with test XML. When the application is launched, you get sample list from my homepage by clicking a button of the application window. Then, do double-click "cube_default" to download the theme. The application will begin to download Package_Legacy before theme download, because it tries to solve dependency. This is one of the most important features.

By this agent, there will be no need to discuss default organizations of packages that our project releases. Our project is software development project, but not distribution project. Therefore we should not use energy to keep other MODs that we don't develop. But, we often discuss what MODs to put the package in default.

I think that "simple is best" and "users have freedom to choose". But, the reason why the package is requested to contain default MODs is that it's difficult to get MODs for beginners.

We are developers. Our energy should be used for software development, not software collections. Therefore, we should solve the problem by software mechanics. Distributions are very great activity, but we should not do it. If we have to do something for distribution, it's writing code.

See cygwin. They don't have distribution packages , because they provides a powerful installer. It's easy to download favorite software. So nobody needs distribution package containing default software. Users have freedoms. That's very nice.

Messaging System

2009-06-25T09:06:00.001+09:00

I'm writing a simple messaging system of the new XOOPS Cube core 1.0. Messaging system is not PM. That's core system and a async communication method between objects (actors). An object will be able to pass a message to another object, even if the object don't know the existence of another object. An object as an actor receives messages through it's mailbox. A such mechanism is used by CELL processor that needs to communicate between SPU and PPU.

The messaging system and the task system is the most imortant new features of the new core.

We should prepare such systems for next-gen pararell programming. And, my role is developing such systems. I will write technical brief of these.

iPhone 3G S Reservations

2009-06-18T22:43:00.001+09:00

Today, I went to the shop in Yokohama and reserved "iPhone 3G S". The shop will give this new phone to me at 26th, June. I'm looking forward it.

Today is also a release day of iPhone OS 3.0. I has finished upgrading. Upgrading needed much time, because it takes much time to download. I still haven't used all features of the new OS, but I feel that spotlight is very cool.

XOOPS Cube implements "cubot light" aka action search in the control panel. We should enhance this feature.

XOOPS Cube will orient to mobile gadget

2009-06-13T10:21:00.006+09:00

I'm busy same as always. I don't have time to touch PC and Web. So I'm using iPhone well to enjoy internet.

Now I can not write an entry of my blog, because I don't use PC at my home.
(I have to go to bed to keep my health, when I come back to my home)

iPhone enables to write blog. I often update my blog on the train. The following screenshot is "Hatena Touch" that is iPhone App for the Japanese blog service "Hatena".

With this App, I can modify existing entries, write drafts and post new entries.

That's really useful. Even though I'm a XOOPS Cube developer but use "Hatena". Because the environment that this App brings is very useful for my life style.

This shows me what I should do. Now, many great developers are there in XOOPS Cube community. They have enough passions and skills to develop XC.

Also I have passions to develop some software that enables to control XC with mobile gadget. Because I want to control my website with iPhone App. If such software doesn't exist, busy workers can not keep their site.

Therefore I want to develop such software.

XOOPS Cube Legacy 2.1.7 RC released!

2009-04-06T00:41:00.003+09:00

Hi all,

The project released XOOPS Cube Legacy (aka Package_Legacy) 2.1.7 RC. This is a minor upgrade version from 2.1.6a, contains many fixes and many enhancements and includes all patches of 2.1.6a security fix.

Please test this RC and report issues if you encounter any troubles. You may post reports to the project forum or each community forum.

(We ask community administrators to forward those reports)

How to upgrade from 2.1.6 or 2.1.6a
Remove mainfile.php and /install directory from the package not to break your current environment. Next, upload files of the package to your server. Finally, do update modules indicating red icon in the module management of the control panel. You may close the site in the control panel to hide your upgrading.

Staff
- GIJOE
- Gusagi
- Hxrr
- Marijuana
- Mikhail
- Minahito
- Mumincacao
- Onokazu
- Roger
- Salamander
- Tohokuaiki
- Tom_G3X

Change Log
[Bug Fix - From Bug Tracker]
- Fix Bug #2491813 - SmileEditAction include multi byte comment.
- Fix Bug #2491817 - SmileEditAction cannnot delete old file.
- Fix Bug #2591041 - Typo Legacy_PublicControllerStrategy.class.php.
- Fix Bug #2642879 - javascript error in admin area.
- Fix Bug #2642959 - SQL Error in Legacy_Updater.
- Fix Bug #2658360 - doubtful escaping in quoteString()
- Fix Bug #2666693 - Error in /XUpgrade/admin/class/UpgradeProcessor.class.php
- Fix Bug #2686374 - Bugs in class.phpmailer.php v2.0.2 (Updated PHPmailer to v2.0.3)
- Fix Bug #2690736 - typo: X_ITEM_TILE (X_ITEM_TITLE?) default_notify.tpl
- Fix Bug #2690739 - typo in /install/include/functions.php, line 38
- Fix Bug #2696701 - user_lostpass.html email maxlength too short
- Fix Bug #2699408 - Specify 2nd argument of mysql_real_escape_string().
- Fix Bug #2724748 - XoopsMemberHandler::getUserByEmail() cannot get user object.

[Bug Fix - From "XCube" Bug Tracker]
- Fix Bug #2656854 - XC_CLASS_EXISTS loops infinity.
- Fix Bug #2635869 - Abstracts difference of class_exists between two versions.

[Patches - From Feature Request Tracker]
- Request #2642992 - exclude extra trim()
- Request #2662922 - DB Layer can be overridden.
- Patch #2697022 - Package_Legacy¥html¥ - new portuguese translations
- Patch #2697034 - extra_languages¥ - new pt_utf8 translations
- patch #2697044 - missing: XUpgrade and system pt language files
- Patch #2701060 - Path disclosure in xoopsmailerlocal.php (pt_utf8)
- Patch #2701140 - legacyRender: update for Portuguese Files

[Other Changes/Enhancements]
- Request #2682887 - MySQL Database Connection should specify the client_flags
- Legacy Controller class provides LEGACY_MODULE_VERSION constant as phpversion.

Abstraction by Include/Link Switch

2009-03-01T15:31:00.000+09:00

The virtual function is often used as one of solutions to accept the same source code to different environment. This way makes surface of source code beautiful, but it is not good performance because virtual functions are heavy process. Programers who work on real time application think that's beautiful way but feel that isn't ideal performance.

Because compilers generate indirect-jump with a function pointer table from virtual function, CPU's branch prediction feature is not useful for a such situation. It surely triggers pipeline-stole. If a perfect JIT will be completed in the future, the perfect JIT will be useful for this situation. But, there is not a such JIT now.

Virtual functions are very good approach. But we hope to fix as many as possible of the function address. If there are some functions that we don't need to handle as abstract functions at runtime, address of those functions should be fixed to let CPU use direct-jump. Let's say you have to develop the middleware that can be used for both of PS3 and Xbox360. Firstly, you may plan to use virtual functions to abstract different between two platforms. But, imagine use of game software. Users never able to change platform while they are playing the game.

In other words, developers decide which libraries to link when compiling. The middleware you're developing makes it possible that developer compile each application for multi-platform from the same source code, so you may supply the plural include files and libraries for each platform. Developers will write each makefile. Because this approach doesn't use virtual functions, most function address will be fixed. And, some of them will be compiled as inline-functions.

A such approach is one of standard approaches of multi-platform programming. We take the approach for the following purpose.

- Writes inline-assembly code on multi-platform that has different CPU.
- Changes JIT of game script for multi-platform that has different CPU.
- Solves the different compilers and different compiler versions.
- Changes link libraries to their debug edition or others.

Maybe the approach is also useful for script programming. We often focus on the "runtime-compile" feature of the script program environment. But, the environment has also the "runtime-link" feature.

Let's say you have to write functions that remove platform difference between PHP4 and PHP5. The platform condition is not changed at runtime. Therefore, when program tries to include a file declaring the functions, you may prepare two files for each platform. That's like the approach of C/C++. C/C++ can change include-path and link-library by platform conditions. And, that's better performance than the approach that each function checks platform and changes execution.

That's one of standard approaches if our language is C/C++. However, the script programming world has the different common sense from C/C++. Therefore developers who work on PHP may not agree the approach that change include-file by platform condition.

The report of OSC 2009 Tokyo/Spring

2009-02-24T18:36:00.008+09:00

Open Source Conference 2009 Tokyo/Spring was closed. That was very exciting event for Japanese OSS developers. I hosted a certain coursework, participated in the CMS Panel Discussion as member of the panel and spoke about XCL 2.2 in the Hodajuku Distribution Coursework. This blog doesn't have an entry about the CMS Panel Discussion and HD Coursework, yet. Now this entry will report the panel discussion.

CMS community moderators and CMS project developers in many kinds of CMS participated in the CMS Panel Discussion. There were few developers in the discussion, because basically number of users was bigger than number of developers in Japan. You might know those CMS in the discussion --- Moodle, Plone, TYPO3, MODx, Geeklog, concrete5, WordPress and XOOPS Cube.

I had to masqueraded in the discussion :D. Because the discussion was streaming broadcasted in the net. Unlike other members of the panel, I don't involve the web business, so I hoped to protect my privacy.

I explained difference between XOOPS2 and XOOPS Cube. Many audiences was thinking that XOOPS Cube had old architecture like XOOPS2. Only my purpose was to dispel a such misconception. And, that was successful. After that I learned that this discussion is very useful for developers. We got detail information of other CMS through the panel discussion. If I was a audience, not member of the discussion, I couldn't get such information.

The information we should pay attention to was TYPO Script that may be DSL of TYPO3. I thought that XC might need DSL to describe how to render template buffer by designers, so the architecture of TYPO was very interesting spec. And, the Plone Japan community moderator told us gettext availability for translation.

The Open Source Conference 2009 Tokyo/Spring was very important event for me.

The preparation for the next OSC

2009-02-11T18:45:00.005+09:00

Here is Yokohama. This is one of the biggest city in Japan. I came to buy some goods that I will need in Open Source Conference 2009 (OSC 2009). I've written about OSC in this blog once or twice. That was known as a big open source event to Japanese open source users/developers.

In the OSC, I will take a part in three seminars. The most important seminar is "How to learn English language for OSS developers". This shopping is for the seminar. This learning seminar was planned by me, so I'm putting muscle into preparation of the seminar. The role to buy something for the seminar is me. But, I will NOT a speaker of the seminar. (As you know, I am not good at English. I should learn English language, not teach it.)

I invited the speaker to the seminar. His nick name is LYE. He is a translator and translated many video games!

In this seminar, I and the speakers will introduce various method to learn English. Those methods will include the method that we had discussed learning English in xoops.org forum. The method using movie that Mr. plusangel told me in the forum is my favorite method.

I've just bought these goods. The tripod stand will be used to take a picture for key note of the seminar. "XOOPS Cube Legacy Developers Bible" (the book at lower left) and "Talk Man" (yellow color PSP software at center) will be a gift for OSC visitors. "FINAL FANTASY X International" is English version of FF-X. I will introduce this video game as learning kit.

BTW, This blog had not updated for a long time, but I keep interests in English and restatred this blog to write my thinking, my daily, my works and XOOPS Cube.

If you're OK, bookmark my new twitter account that you can see in the right side of this blog. I try to write messages in English there.

Step for unleashed

2009-01-30T11:11:00.002+09:00

'unleashed' is the code name of XOOPS Cube Core v1.0. The following is my ToDo.

What I have to fix

Render Sequence.
Misc around rendering system.
Fetching compositing factors from rendering target.
Fix bugs of the virtual service feature.
Identity.

What I have to design

Single-cast Event System.
Composition like mechanism.
Manifesto definition for automatic communication & automatic building.
Resource Manager to abstract between file system and database.

A Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T16:49:00.005+09:00

Hi All,

A Happy New Year! This is Hiroshima, where my parents live. Yes, Hiroshima is my home. I went to see the first sunrise of the year. Because the first sunrise of the year is happy symbol for Japanese people, we try to see the first sunrise. We enjoyed Xmas as a big event of end of the year, but "New Year's Holidays" is really the traditional event for us.

The mountain that I took this picture is Mt. Furutakayama in Etajima Island. This mountain is not famous for Japanese people, but residents in the island love this mountain.

Many mountain hikers climbed this mountain early morning, to see the first sunrise. All of them are Hiroshima People. Therefore, all of them is Hiroshima Toyo Carp (Baseball Team) Funs. We wished Carp's victory to the sunrise.

2009 is an important year for me. My company will be very busy in this year, because my team will release a new video game. I will have to concentrate to write programs from spring to fall. Meanwhile I wish to commit to two free software projects.

Plus, I want to go to next GDC. But, when next GDC is holding, we will be very busy. So I want to go to GDC 2010. For that, I will learn English more and more, in this year.

XC's repository moved to SVN

2008-11-25T09:26:00.001+09:00

Here is a good news for developers who decide to touch only SVN. XC's repository moved from CVS to SVN yesterday. We should thank Mr. nobunobu who ported a script program used in CVS and prepared SVN mailing list.

For more informations, you may read topics in the project phpBB forums.

(Maybe I should post this to also news)

I do freeware activity, because I'm too busy

2008-11-22T13:24:00.003+09:00

In last CEDEC, I heard Keiji Inafune's speech. He is one of the most famous game producers in Japan. He said "If you aren't winner of the market, you have to fight not to be loser. But even if you're a winner of the market, you should keep attacking. "

That's very interesting thinking. And, his speech changed my thought. I decided to add many many missions to the XOOPS Cube project, whether we have free time enough.

Until I heard his speech, I continued reducing a number of projects' missions, because nobody is unable to help the project. And I was waiting the time that Japanese volunteers get their free time again. But that was miss judging.

Probably Japanese people have to be very busy. However, the project should increase missions, not reduce missions. If our preconditions is that busy Japanese developers run this project, the project should be stopped and closed. The project should not recognize such situation and has to deny it.

"Because Japanese people are very busy" "Therefore we add many missions to the project".

You may feel antinomy.

Package_Legacy 2.1.6 Release!

2008-11-21T12:53:00.004+09:00

Thank you for your testing. Here's the latest maintenance release for the v2.1 stable, since it has finished RC schedule. It has a number of bugfixes which we recommend you update.

The project has just completed main tasks of v2.1 and will begin running v2.2 in full swing!

== Staff ==
- 10key
- argon
- GIJOE
- gusagi
- hypweb (nao-pon)
- kilica
- Marijuana
- masarap
- Mikhail
- minahito
- mumincacao
- nor
- okuhiki
- ohwada
- onokazu
- orrisroot
- pcboy
- sacchan
- slayer_cg
- suin
- tohokuaiki
- tomoro
- Tom_G3X

Changes Log
[Bug Fix - From Bug Tracker]
- Fix Bug #1833191 - lisense message of installer
- Fix Bug #1865695 - XoopsToken Not in use. at legacy_comment_navi.html
- Fix Bug #1978064 - users_group_link doesn't have unique key
- Fix Bug #2014727 - Removed template variable code that is assigned many times.
- Fix Bug #2015589 - genId typo in some handlers in kernel.
- Fix Bug #2018226 - It's impossible to choose portuguese in the installer
- Fix Bug #2018271 - ThemeListAction.class.php resulting Warning and Fatal Error.
- Fix Bug #2018281 - xoopsmailer.php - path disclosure vulnerability.
- Fix Bug #2018284 - path disclosure vulnerability in greek\charset_mysql.php.
- Fix Bug #2018956 - xoops_redirect parameter: path disclosure vulnerability.
- Fix Bug #2019640 - invalid / unnecessary files in portuguese translation.
- Fix Bug #2019660 - "MSN" no longer exists. Replace with "Windows Live ID"
- Fix Bug #2028663 - Update Callback is not called at pending comments approval
- Fix Bug #2062535 - css.php doesn't work perfectly.
- Fix Bug #2073613 - Problem of parse_url().
- Fix Bug #2084802 - Users' posts should not be increased at the control panel
- Fix Bug #2101729 - Typo comment in Legacy_ModulePhasedUpgrader
- Fix Bug #2115390 - GPL V2 License Link is changed
- Fix Bug #2115634 - $db->query() cannot handle only limit query.
- Fix Bug #2121388 - Missing translation in japanese language file.
- Fix Bug #2123870 - register.php :: missing user_mail_ok
- Fix Bug #2129194 - A typo of SID's connector in redirect_header
- Fix Bug #2178519 - "showall" of the search feature doesn't show correct URL
- Fix Bug #2173864 - ModuleInstaller set invalid group permission.
- Fix Bug #2200366 - Cannot set block_read permission.
- Fix Bug #2205261 - A typo in user activation
- Fix Bug #2201567 - Some mistakes in japanese and ja_utf8
- Fix Bug #2209139 - JVN#20502807
- Fix Bug #2216013 - Doesn't assign reference in groupperm.php
- Fix Bug #2235005 - User_RegisterEditForm includes needless fields
- Fix Bug #2282727 - Controller cannot parse request path on IIS
- Fix Bug #2283070 - XoopsObjectGenericHandler cannot insert/update null value.

[Bug Fix - From "XCube" Bug Tracker]
- Fix Bug #2225372 - Bug in delegate signature checking
- Fix Bug #2232981 - Slight typo on error

[Other Changes/Enhancements]
- Patch #2062644 - Re-draw /html/images
- Patch #2120194 - Smarty 2.6.19 & phpmailer 2.0.2
- Patch #2223209 - simplified Chinese language file
- Some URLs description was changed for new lisence URLs.
- The Kick Start Guide was translated for Japanese.

It's cold day today

2008-11-20T00:04:00.000+09:00

It seems that winnter season came to Japan. It's very very cold. I have to buy a new coat.

Blender Party in Nagoya

2008-11-18T22:34:00.000+09:00

Blender is one of my favorite open source software. In this month, Blender Party will be hold in Nagoya, Japan. I will take a part in the party.

BTW, there are many XOOPS Cube develepers in Nagoya. So we will have a lunch meeting with them about next development --- v2.2 and a new Base. Maybe I will be able to meet with tom_g3x, jidaikobo, mumincacao and kilica.

I could not release 2.1.6

2008-11-17T09:35:00.001+09:00

Because I was busy and tired last weekend, I could not check whether 2.1.6 runs completely. Therefore I did not release the stable edition yesterday. If I will return home early, I will do final test HEAD and release it.

Also this week is very very tough. I pay attention to my helth. We have tried to add a new release manager, but we have failed all trying. Umm.

jidaikobo's theme foramat test

2008-11-02T16:30:00.002+09:00

I had stopped XOOPS Cube Core development and next BASE development for a long time. Today I restarted it for the first time in many months. But, I did not modify most core code, because my first priority task is theme rendering for another developer who tries to define one of next generation themes.

As you know, XOOPS Cube doesn't force a theme format. Therefore, a theme at this entry is not "uniformed new next generation theme", but one of next generation themes. Programmers have to test the feasibility of exchangable theme format.

This theme format written by Mr. jidaikobo has "style" spec. The style is similar into RapidWeaver's "style". See the following screen shot. It is the same look as XOOPS Cube Official Site BETA that is generated by RapidWeaver.

Changes style to change look. That is switching CSS.

Most next generation theme formats are probably not table-based layout. So it will become tough work to create themes. "Style" makes it possible to change looks by switching CSS on the same template.

Jidaikobo has some ideas for CSS-based theme format. He proposed a new way that themes don't have any templates. Instead of templates, the themes have only CSS files and image files. In other words, the themes perhaps equals the style that I've just tested. That's difficult, so there are some discussions.

BTW, code on my PC is very bad. Please wait for my commit.

Little Big Planet gives many hints to XOOPS Cube

2008-10-30T00:12:00.002+09:00

Little Big Planet will be on sale tommorow in also Japan. This game will give many hints to XOOPS Cube project. If you have PS3 and XC users, it's useful to research this game for you.

Little Big Planet is a platform to share each works. Anybody can download levels that other users created and play the levels with your friends. You can share interesting levels to your friends and tag.

Little Big Planet is a creation tool. Anybody can create a new level and release it freely. It's impossible to prevent any creations.

Little Big Plannet is a community to have fun. It's important that creation is very interesting. Anybody is a creator before tools.

Lastly, Little Big Planet is a different world from your daily world. You will get freedom to create something there.

Sf.net changed use of project web

2008-09-20T12:23:00.002+09:00

Perhaps we became unable to access project web directory via SSH. According to a topic in Community Discussion Forums, it became possible to read/write porject web directory vis web.sourceforge.net easily.


rsync -av {your_directory} {account},{project unix-name}@web.sourceforge.net:htdocs

If you need to get files from project web directory, exchange source with target:


rsync -av {account},{project unix-name}@web.sourceforge.net:htdocs {your_directory}

It became impossible to use something, because we are not able to use SSH. But, members who don't bring to our project became unable to access to our directory. That's important for security of us.

Beta of Tacker2

2008-09-20T12:00:00.004+09:00

Have you ever read "SourceForge.net Service Operations bulletin 2008-09-12"? You may read interesting news from the news letter. At first, projects that host at sf.net become able to use new applications --- phpBB, MediaWiki and LimeSurvey. These applications are under sourceforge control, so we don't need to do something for maintenance. And users can login to those application with account/password of sf.net. For more informations, read this topic.

Next, sourceforge is developing a new version of their tracker system. We, users may try it anytime. Click "Try it" at a head of our tracker system page:

By that, we can use beta of tracker 2. It needs your feed back! And, we may back to stable tracker system anytime.

For more informations of the beta, read this topic.

iChat

2008-09-19T09:28:00.002+09:00

iChat is great communication tool for mac users. It's possible to use Camera, Voice Chat and File Transfar. And, expressions of this application is rich. But, it needs .mac account. Most my friends use Jabber account like google talk.

I tried to transfar filed to Mr. Ryuni via iChat (Our account is google talk), but it was failed.

There are many interesting chat protocol over the world. And many chat applications support the prural protocols. But, to contact all friends, we have an account on all protocols.

World Time Clock

2008-09-19T00:44:00.004+09:00

The Clock APP of iPhone/iPod touch has World Time Clock Feature. The feature is very useful for me. Many developers from variouse countries apply to XOOPS Cube development. I can get the time of their countries.

Now Korea and Japan is in the same time zone, so I added Europa and South-America to the World Time Clock.

AM Show

2008-09-18T23:15:00.003+09:00

I went to Amusement Machine Show. I didn't want to play many games, because I have to wait my turn. At the show, many latest games were there. To play those, visitors had to stand in long line. I played some video games and just watched most games.

The best game for me is MechaTraX. In this game, players try to get prises by controlling real robot. The game is called "ROBO CATCHER".

"Fish pond game" is also interesting game. This game machine contains real water and real fishes. It looks pool! Yes, this is real game, not a video game.

The Feature Requests for 2.2.0

2008-09-18T00:07:00.003+09:00

I added a new category "2.2.0 Enhancement" to the feature request tracker. Visit to the Feature Requests:Legacy.

We did not decide what 2.2.0 will implement. Input your idea to the tracker and discuss at each item. Because it's possible to post comments at the item of the tracker system, we can discuss 2.2.0.

Carp vs Swallows Round 19

2008-09-17T23:48:00.000+09:00

Carp vs Swallows Round 18: Extra-time Triumph

2008-09-16T23:29:00.001+09:00

Matsue Castle

2008-09-14T12:09:00.001+09:00

Posted with LifeCast

I'm traveling to Matsue-shi

2008-09-12T10:07:00.001+09:00

I'm in the super-express train "Izumo" to go to Open Souce Conference 2008 Shimane. Shimane and Matsue-shi are very fomous for open source developers in Japan, because the lead developer of Ruby lives in this town.

Matsue-shi is very far from Yokohama. By that, I had to choose this super-express that supplies a room and a bed for us. I left from Yokohama lastnight, and I will arrive at Matsue-shi this morning.

Posted with LifeCast

Hikari

2008-09-05T02:00:00.003+09:00

Hikari is an ADD-ON to handle FLASH on OGRE3D. Hikari works on only Windows OS, because it needs flash.ocx. This is an excellent ADD-ON and makes it possible to design UI by FLASH and bind it to game programs.

The Demo reflects values of both slider and color pallet to the viewport. And the Demo application send FPS value to Hikari and show it by using functions of FLASH. In other words, the application of the OGRE 3D can read values from FLASH side and can send values to FLASH side.

At recent years, video games use FLASH with the middleware to implement rich UI rapidly. By Hikari, we became able to try it at our free time!

Shoggoth removed SceneNode::getWorldPosition() and getWorldOrientation()

2008-09-02T23:43:00.001+09:00

In Ogre 1.6.0 RC1, SceneNode::getWorldPosition() and SceneNode::getWorldOrientation() was removed. A topic of the forum reports that some developers who changed their engine to 1.6.0 get errors at compiling.

'getWorldOrientation' : is not a member of 'Ogre::SceneNode'

Changelog explained those two methods were removed from Renderable interface. At the same time, those methos were removed from SceneNode class. The engine gets full transform matrices from Renderable interface, so it doesn't need getWorldMatrix() and getWorldOrientation(). We may use _getDeriveedPosition() and _getDerivedOrientation() instead of the removed methods.

getWorldPosition() and getWorldOrientation() were pure alias methods. Therefore, you may add those alias methos to OgreSceneNode.h of 1.6.0. Even if you do this little hack to a header file of the prebuild SDK, you don't need to re-build the engine.

OGRE 1.6.0RC1 ('Shoggoth') Released!

2008-08-31T17:16:00.002+09:00

OGRE 1.6.0 RC1 "Shoggoth" was released. Summary of new key features is following:

New more powerful script compilers
Geometry shaders in OpenGL
Antialiasing on render textures as well as windows
sRGB gamma correction
Alpha to coverage support
New 'Portal Connected Zone' SceneManager
Parallel-Split Shadow Map support
Improved tangent generation
Skeletal blend masks
New background loading options
Custom memory allocator support

The prebuild SDK is going to be released.

New features are appended to the script that we are using to define materials and particles. OGRE_USE_NEW_COMPILERS in OgreConfig.h decides whether the engine uses new features. The Material Feature is improved at this new version and got to handle new shader parameters.

In addition, the Scenemanager got to support "Portal Connect Zone". By that, we can switch in/out-house effectivity. The movie that was used for explanation this feature is following:

In 1.6.0, it's possible to change memory allocator. This is one of the most important features.

Yokohamaq Stadium

2008-08-25T18:00:00.001+09:00

Posted with LifeCast

GameDeveloperTooks.com

2008-08-21T00:36:00.000+09:00

A happy news announced that the game developers community got a new site.

GameDeveloperTools.com that is "a comprehensive library of game development resouces" collects tools, libraries, middleware, engines and books for game development. Especially the site collects 1800 books data!

To get such informations, we can visit DevMaster.net. In 3D Engines Database of the site, we can search 3D engines by advanced search. And there are many reviews posted by developers who have used those engines. However, 3D Engines Database collects only General 3D Engines or Rendering Engine, so the database doesn't handle middleware --- AI, physics, script engine, file system and so on.

(We can set such key-features as search-conditions to search engines.)

I used Libraries of OGRE Wiki to search such middleware. I keep to recommend this page, but I will need to check also GDT.com.

It's cool that Tools page of GDT.com contains "File Management" category. The 3D Graphics category might contain new tools like CrazyBump.

I thought that all engines are listed on 3D Engines Database, but GTD.com shows some engines that I didn't know. For example, I didn't know "3D Adventure Studio", "3D Game Maker" and etc. Because those engines are "Construction Tool for specific genre", 3D Engines Database did not list those. I like construction tools, so GTD.com will become my favorite site.

Restart Working

2008-08-18T08:15:00.003+09:00

My summer vacation(7 days) was ended. My company restarted working. This is the first day of my new life in Yokohama. Yokohama is not far from my company, so I can get more free time for some activities. I will assign a hour to my sleeping time that was too short. In the previous town, my sleeping time was just 4 hours, even if I am NOT too busy. And I had to reduce the sleeping time to do something at the free software world. That was very hard days.

However, that's an old story for me! Now it's easy to keep time to have fun.

Home Soba

2008-08-15T10:51:00.001+09:00

Last Hitter

2008-08-14T20:43:00.001+09:00

Hiroshima Citizen Stadium

2008-08-14T17:38:00.001+09:00

Posted with LifeCast

Streetcar in Hiroshima

2008-08-14T16:57:00.001+09:00

Posted with LifeCast

A next base will accept various browsers

2008-08-13T08:22:00.004+09:00

A next base that we're developing will accept various browsers that include mobile phones. And, that will be light-weight than XCL. The project develops XOOPS Cube for hobby life. So it's requirements that XC will have to accept mobile phones, Wii Opera, PLAYSTATION3 browser and iPod touch/iPhone safari. Of course, it should be possible to operate control panels by buttons of Wii Controller. And, we will have to accept some rules of accessibility so that many people can enjoy hobby life by XC.

Because XCL is "Legacy" application, it was not smart that a few XCL developers use much time for mobile phone directly. But, they will try it at a next stage (a next base).

BTW, things that a base developers have to do are not much. If a base equips a flexible template system and a flexible main sequence, it can accept multi-browsers. The focal point is a way to supply template resource.

All developers don't have all browsers. Also all designers don't have all browsers. It's easy to download all PC browsers, but you have to buy Wii and PLAYSTATION3 to get browsers of them. In addition, even if a developer has all browsers, we should not request him to implement all. So we will need direct patch system like preload for theme and template system.

In other words, XC supports that end-users compound plural works. Because it's difficult that a single solution that is developed by a couple of developers implements all templates and all programs.

You may think that such patch files should be contributed directly to the archive that developers and designers make. But, they often become busy and unable to keep free software activity, because they are a citizen, an employee of their company and have their family. I trust that the patch mechanism is useful for our world and makes our world rapid.

I have some ideas for porting existing modules of XCL to a next (other) base.

The preparations to manage the project were recovered. So I will concentrate to restart developing. Moving my house will give free time to me.

We began to collect URL of tutorials

2008-08-12T00:06:00.002+09:00

We did not complete Official Web Site (beta) for OSC2008 Nagoya. (What is that? I will report about OSC2008 Nagoya next time.)

Now, we began to collect URL of online tutorials for a final stage of making Japanese edition of the official web site. After that, we will start to translate a draft of Japanese edition to English edition.

We are collecting URL of various online resources --- tutorials, video tutorials, ABC guidances and kick start guidances --- from various media --- an entry of a blog, a topic of a forum, a page of a wiki and an article of a personal homepage. The URL link collection will help users who research how to use XOOPS Cube.

I want to keep useful page like blender.org Education & Help. blender.org thinks that the net is bigger than blender.org, so they collect links to outside resources. I think that we should emulate them.

I've finished moving to Yokohama

2008-08-04T09:10:00.004+09:00

These days are very hard, but I've finished moving my house to Yokohama. The previouse my house is very far from my company. So this change will give enough free time to me.

Package_Legacy 2.1.5 Release

2008-07-30T12:45:00.000+09:00

I'm sorry to be late. Package_Legacy 2.1.5 stable edition has been released on the download section of the XOOPS Cube project page. We had to release it at last Sunday as originally scheduled, but I could not do it because the power cable of my iMac was gone while I was preparing to move my house.

2.1.5 needed a month. Thanks all contributors who tried to test RC.

There are already many reports and many patches in the project for 2.1.6. We will keep efforts to the next version of 2.1.x.

BTW, the first edition of the project full-fledged web page will be launched. Because I'm too busy by my works of my company, preparation to move my house and some free ware projects, I could not follow all tasks about the web page, but most tasks have been completed. I've finished works about 2.1.5, so I'll restart the web page works.

--------

XOOPS Cube Legacy (Package_Legacy) 2.1.5 is available. Thanks all contributors who tried to test with RC1, RC2 and RC3 for a month. 2.1.5 is minor upgrade version from 2.1.4. This version fixes one important bug & some bug fixes, and contains some patches. The previous version 2.1.4 had a bug around parsing URL. This bug triggered troubles to some AJAX modules, some users applied a hot fix for the bug. But 2.1.5 contains the fix. Therefore, even if you applied a hot fix for the bug to 2.1.4, you may upgrade to 2.1.5 without special steps.

This version tried to contain many fixes to become last maintenance release, so RC test schedule was very very long. By that, it seems that 2.1.5 is very stable. If you're using Package_Legacy 2.1.x, there are not reasons that you don't upgrade your site to 2.1.5. If you're using a distribution package of Package_Legacy, perhaps a new versions of those packages will be released, so you should wait their announcements.

The project already recieved new reports and new patches for more enhancements. So the project will keep efforts on HEAD of the Package_Legacy module of CVS.

==Upgrade from 2.1.4 to 2.1.5==
Remove mainfile.php and /install directory from the package not to break your current environment. Next, upload files of the package to your server. Finally, do update modules indicating red icon in the module management of the control panel. You may close the site in the control panel to hide your upgrading.

==Upgrade from 2.1.5 RC, RC2 and RC3 to 2.1.5==
Remove mainfile.php and /install directory from the package not to break your current environment. Next, upload files of the package to your server. Finally, do update five modules --- legacy, user, legacyRender, stdCache, pm (if you use) in the module management of the control panel. You may close the site in the control panel to hide your upgrading.

==Staff==
- aaki
- fugafuga
- GIJOE
- gusagi
- JardaR
- jidaikobo
- kilica
- marijuana
- MAT
- mikhail
- minahito
- nbuy (aka nobu)
- nobunobu
- okuhiki
- onokazu
- tohokuaiki
- Tom_G3x

==Changes==
[Bug Fix - From Bug Tracker]
- Fix Bug #1950018 - charset Problem in css.php
- Fix Bug #1950017 - PathDisclo in legacyRender/admin/css.php
- Fix Bug #1944713 - PATH Disclosure ? in Legacy_Controller::_parseUrl()
- Fix Bug #1939992 - Invalid xhtml templates in legacy module.
- Fix Bug #1938443 - ID is multiple defined in TplsetList
- Fix Bug #1924223 - The request which includes URL cannot be processed.
- Fix Bug #1971682 - Could not read PM from a removed user.
- Fix Bug #1971718 - cookie path always becomes '/'.
- Fix Bug #1987219 - Remove invalid files from the extra directory.
- Fix Bug #1989801 - cleanup to notice reference variable in class/tree.php.
- Fix Bug #1990481 - Invalid Regexp at User_AbstractUserEditForm class.
- Fix Bug #1992732 - $xoopsConfig doesn't referer mXoopsConfig in some cases.
- Fix Bug #2003440 - X_UACTLINK is missing used in some languages.
- Fix Bug #2008857 - user level empty when editing user whose level not in 0,1,5
- Fix Bug #2010090 - Missing Content-Type in MailHeader by #1729813.
- Fix Bug #2011775 - When a user deletes his account, principal is not created.
- Fix Bug #2017164 - Can't register new account by #2011775

[Other Changes/Enhancements]
- Patch #1868259 - add alt to smaily icons@legacy_xoopsform_opt_smileys.html
- Patch #1897607 - html/install/include/functions.php
- Patch #1961603 - portuguese translations: bug fix and enhancements.
- Patch #1992777 - xoopsmailerlocal.php for zh-tw.
- Patch #2011199 - Czech message catalog for XCL.
- Patch #2016023 - Package Legacy 215rc patch FR and PT typo.
- (Exception Patch) Improve LostPassAction.

I'm preparing to move house now

2008-07-26T09:48:00.000+09:00

I have no time to call my own these days. The cause is that my house is far from my company and my work is busy recently. I wanted to write response many mails in ML, write comments to many BLOGs and write code for some free software projects.

I had searched the best house for a month. But, recently 2 weeks were really very very hard to keep my sleeping time. It was good day, if I could sleep for 3 hours. I felt that I had reached my limits.

Therefore I decided my house from two candidates, yesterday. And I will move my house next week. This decision will bring about 2 hours free time to me.

Package_Legacy 2.1.5 RC3 Release!

2008-07-20T15:49:00.001+09:00

We have just released RC3 to test some additional bug fixes. If those patches will not cause any troubles, we will release the stable edition next week.

Now, some new fixes and new reports were submitted since 2.1.5 RC1. We kept efforts to check those and commit, but the project can not release "2.1.5" one of those days if we keep such a activity. The reason why we decided to release 2.1.5 is that 2.1.4 needs hot fix. But, our 2.1.5 RC schedule is 1 month. We should not reschedule to a later date. Therefore, maybe we will release 2.1.6.

LittleBigPlanet

2008-07-11T01:27:00.000+09:00

"LittleBigPlanet" (LBP) is a new title of PLAYSTATION 3. That is pazzle action game platform and world creation video game. Users may enjoy a fun of "Mod" with LBP. It's possibl to create characters and stages, and share those through the net. Checking the following moview is easy way to understand LBP.

Here is other creation video game. The title is SPORE that Mr, Will Wright who is a famous game creator develops. In SPORE, you will begin creating your creature by Creature Creator that is a creation tool for SPORE. What's interesting is that the save data format is PNG file. So you can paste your creature data to your blog and share with world.

Those two games allow you to create a character and a stage. But, you can not create something over the feature of those. That is very important. Many users find a fun within the feature. I think that is an example for creation tools. Creation tools don't need to be versatile. But it has to give surprise and wonder.

Mod

2008-07-10T01:19:00.000+09:00

If you like computer game and are not Japanese, perhaps you know "Mod".

Mod or modification is a term generally applied to computer games, especially first-person shooters, RPGs and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves. They can include new items, weapons, characters, enemies, models, textures, levels, story lines, music, and game modes. They also usually take place in unique locations. They can be single-player or multiplayer. Mods that add new content to the underlying game are often called partial conversions, while mods that create an entirely new game are called total conversions. [Wikipedia ]

"Mod" grows game developers. Many students and many holiday developers have the experience which has completed games. That's quality assurance of developers. Business employes those amateur developers. They might not be called as professional developers, but they are better than inexperienced people.

"Mod" is useful for the leraning of game designers, level designers, artists and programmers who don't still begin hard-core programming. Game designers can instantly begin video game development by his idea, because required engine, required graphics and sounds already are there. Also artists can make building, terrains, soldiers and weapons. Those graphics show up on real game directly. Many visual tools are free download for personal developers.

Some game engine for Mod is possible by script programing. Normally, level designers learn the script and use it, but it might be the first stage that grows professional programers. If they want to learn full-fledged game development programming, they can get easy game engine or hard-core game middleware. There are free engines, charged engines and ABC books for learniong.

I respects powers of the situation. That's heaven of any game developers.

In Japan, "Mod" is not known very much. Not only "Mod", all categories of amateure development are not hot. A few people get English software and enjoy to make "Mod". I don't know whether that is favorable for the employment. Video game development companies in Japan employes highly capable students and educates them. I feel that those companies are good at educations. That comes along well at the time of the present, but it sounds that the condition is the last straw.

Japanese people likes to make something. But, maybe, video game development is hard work for them. You may feel that all amateure game development activities are not there in Japan. Deactivate circumstances are enough to loss passion of them.

Japanese game develop companies are alarmed by the situation. Mr, Kiyoshi Shin who is the head of IGDA Japan is propounding "Basic Maginze 2.0" to resuscitate hot air of amateure video game development. What's "Basic Magazine"? That's one of important items on the computer histories of Japan. I will write about it at some early date.

Initial Sales of SIREN: New Translation

2008-07-09T01:46:00.005+09:00

This is a new challenge. SIREN that is great new video game of PLAYSTATION 3 will be sold through network, before Blu-ray edition. You can buy the Blu-ray edition by 5,980 JPY at 24th July, but if you want to get the download edition, you can buy it by 5,500 JPY at 14th, July. In other words, the download edition is cheaper and earlier than the Blu-ray edition.

However, you can not see the goal of this game around players who play SIREN with Blu-ray edition. Because, when you get the download edition of SIREN, the most part of this game is locked. The lock will be unlocked slowly with time. The last part of this game will be unlocked at 24th, July. You can not see the goal of this game, until the Blu-ray edition will be sold.

What do you think about this model? I want to get experience from this model, so I will buy the download edition not the Blu-ray edition. But, this game is pretty scary. I will buy this game, but I might be unable to play this game. :D

Generic Render Sequence (2)

2008-07-05T17:39:00.002+09:00

Let's brush up the rendering mechanism of XOOPS Cube. XOOPS Cube has a policy that CMS doesn't force the specific theme format to designers. Programming is necessary to create a new format, but that's much better than not to exchange theme formats.

The XOOPS Cube core abstracts Render-System (drawing mechanism) and Render-Target (output buffer). You can use Render-System and Render-Target without the central control of the main sequence.

Rener-Operation is operation data for the Generic Render-Sequence. It tells the core how to use Render-System and Render-Target. If a BASE module uses the Generic Render-Sequence, each programs don't need to access Render-System and Render-Target directly.

But, the core doesn't put a ban on accessing Render-System and Render-Target. The Generic Render-Sequence is a high-level "sequence". Render-System and Render-Target are a low-level "rendering" mechanism. Both of them are available.

At the XOOPS Cube Developers Group Japan, Onokazu pointed out that Render-Target has similar members of Render-Operation. That's was very very good point.

XOOPS Cube 0.9 that is accepted to Legacy doesn't have a mechanism like Render-Operation. Render-Target has the same role.

When we developed Legacy, I took account of attribute (template variables) cleaning. At XOOPS2, posterior rendering can use template variables registered by anterior rendering. That's one of techniques of XOOPS2. But, Legacy had to accept exchangable Render-System, so Render-System B can not access to template variable registered by Render-System A.

If this is 3D programing, such a use is bug and onus of programers. But, we thought that we had to show that a rendering can not access to template variables of other rendering, to programers who had XOOPS2 experience. So Legacy got the spec that template variables are cleared after rendering.

At this spec implement, it became non-recommendation that programers access to Render-System directly. Normally, programers set requests to Render-Target and send it to Legacy_Controller, instead of direct Render-System access. In most cases, Render-System control is done by Legacy. In other words, "Legacy has Ungeneric Render-Sequence". In this case, Render-Target works a kind of Render-Operation for Legacy Ungeneric Render-Sequence.

XOOPS Cube core 1.0 will take Render-Operation, have to solve confusion of classes and divide those classes correctly. Render-System, Render-Target and Render-Operation are divided correctly.

Generic Render Sequence (1)

2008-07-01T00:51:00.000+09:00

XOOPS Cube 1.0 implements the Generic Render-Sequence, that's one of major features that we should check.

We already know Ungeneric Render-Sequence. That's a Render-Sequence of Legacy. A rendering process of Legacy has the same step as XOOPS2 and is the following steps:

(1) Renders blocks before a module execution.
(2) Renders a module after a module execution.
(3) Renders a theme as final output after a module rendering.

The Generic Render-Sequence of XOOPS Cube core 1.0 makes those steps general-purpose.

The Render-Sequence of XOOPS Cube core 1.0 is executed after all business logics. And, the sequence doesn't know type of content units --- modules and blocks, because the sequence has to accept the core feature that the core can exchange BASE with other BASE.

A type of contents --- themes, modules and blocks is not important for the Generic Render-Sequence. The important things are order of rendering and that later rendering process may access previouse rendering result or other Render-Target.

In the Ungeneric Render-Sequence of Legacy, the logic to render theme is executed at final step. But, in Generic Render-Sequence, even if CMS's task requests theme rendering at first step, the sequence can render it at final step.

In other words, order of drawing can be different from order of business logic.

Let's check the mechanism. Read a certain PDF document.

Normally, we should use the Generic Render-Sequence with task system that is also a generic main sequencal process mechanism. Because a ungeneric main sequence has a ungeneric render sequence (examples: Legacy and XOOPS2).

The main sequence of XCube_Root collects Render-Operation from each task. A Render-Operation has a name of using Render-System, sequence ID and so on. The sequence ID is number of rendering to be rendered by correct order.

Render-Operation are collected in random order (out-order). In most cases, a first task is a CMS's task, so perhaos a theme rendering is requested firstly.

If the core does nothing for the collected operations, some modules and blocks are rendered after the theme rendering. Such a order is strange.

For that, the XOOPS Cube core sorts the collected operations to execute render-sequence in order.

Sorting corrects order. The condition made by sort is a kind of command queue. The Generic-Render Sequence of the core renders by fetching a operations from the queue. If BASE uses the Generic Render-System, it can entrust handling Render-System and Render-Target to the core.

When the last operation is finished, final output is completed. You check it with sample programs of XCube_PHP4 minahito branch.

BTW, this entry is the another version of Diff between XC and XCL(X2): Render Sequence.

Anybody don't download 2.1.5 RC

2008-06-25T06:54:00.002+09:00

Oh! Download count is still zero.

But anybody don't want to test RC in the front part of a week. May be this weekend will be test time.

XOOPS Cube Legacy 2.1.5 RC release

2008-06-22T21:17:00.003+09:00

I'm sorry. This release falled behind.

XCL 2.1.5 RC is available for test. 2.1.5 is minor upgrade version from 2.1.4 and will almost certainly be the last maintenance release on the 2.1.x series. This version fixes one important bug & some bug fixes, and contains some patches. If you are webmaster using XCL and have some free time for volunteer activity, check whether XCL 2.1.5 RC doesn't give any troubles to you.

The current release note contains important informations for test.

After 2 weeks, the project will release the stable edition. Let's test RC!

Upgrade from 2.1.4 to 2.1.5 RC
Remove mainfile.php and /install directory from the package not to break your current environment. Next, upload files of the package to your server. Finally, do update modules indicating red icon in the module management of the control panel. You may close the site in the control panel to hide your upgrading.

Staff

fugafuga
GIJOE
gusagi
kilica
marijuana
MAT
mikhail
minahito
nbuy (aka nobu)
nobunobu
okuhiki
tohokuaiki
Tom_G3x

How to forward the official web site (beta)?

2008-05-29T23:54:00.001+09:00

The original is here.

Why the official web site is beta?
Because we will not use dynamic web site in this time. In other words, we don't use CMS on the server. Instead of CMS on the server, we will use RapidWeaver that is static CMS. Sourceforge.net web server is not light and not enough to run XCL. I plan to use another BASE of XOOPS Cube for the official web site, but the BASE is under development. So we will use RapidWeaver for three months. In addition, because we need to research other CMS, it's useful for us to use RapidWeaver well.

How to forward (progress) it?
I will post a draft of the official web site to the specific page of sf.net Wiki in Japanese at 1th, June. The reason why the first draft is written in Japanese is that we have to prepare must informations instead of xoopscube.jp that is the top page rank of Japan and can not prepare enough informations for users.

Please don't translate the page from Japanese to other language for 2 weeks, because the first draft will be changed from my poor document to the second draft. You don't need to use time to translate the first draft. In addition, the Japanese edition has links to Japanese web sites. So contributors who are good at both English and Japanese will translate the second draft to English. After then, let's improve the English edition together.

I think to allow that the English edition and the Japanese edition may have a little difference. My poor English has given damages to the community, but contributors who are good at both English and Japanese will take a balance. Anyway, because the project is full of active members and contributors, we can take new way that is different from old way.

Will the official web site have forums?
No. Our forums already exist at the project page. And, each language edition provides links to local communities like xoopscube.org for end users. Because the role of the project is software development, we will keep the web site small. But, the next web site will be better than the current web site that is a static web page and have only links.

What a web site should I image as the goal?
That's www.ogre3d.org (plus a little of blender.org) that doesn't have forums. As you know, XOOPS Cube has refered to OGRE3D for the basic architecture and the project model. Our project is anarchy policy and different from OGRE3D, but the informations that we should provide at each official web site are equaled.

Will the English edition feed back to the Japanese edition?
Yes, of course. Two editions can have a little difference on expressions, but the basic of them has to be equaled.

Where will we discuss the content of the draft?
Sourceforge.net wiki provides the comment feature to us. The feature is good discussion board. After the English draft page will be made, we will become able to discuss it at the comment feature.

Can I translate from the English edition to other language?
Yes, you can. That's freedom. Our web site will be under GFDL or other free license, so you translate it to the place that you hope --- xoopscube.sourceforge.net or each local communities.

But, it's bad idea to read the translation source with software translation service. Translate from only the English edition. Perhaps, the English edition will be sure. Because other language editions have to keep expressions and links for each country or law of them within linguistic area, such pages are not good as translation base.

We will start from the Japanese edition, but finally the Japanese edition will not be good translation source because of a strange circumstance of Japan.

Game Test of Wii Fit

2008-05-28T23:55:00.002+09:00

It's very very important to test a video game that is under development, before a game developer puts the game on the market. Bugs have to be fixed. In addition, a video game has to be interesting.

Each video game has each form, each rule and each system. Therefore, means to test each game are different from each other. If a game is First Person Shooting, testers have to play as the soldier of U.S. army and battle with Hitler and Aliens many many time. If a game is a baseball sports game, testers have to play 100 years of pennant race. But, if a video game is resistance training, what are testers doing?

Wii Fit is the hot product of Nintendo. That looks white color board. The board is "Balance Board" that equips the plural stress censors. You may take your weight, play balance games like skiing and do resistance trainings that are Push-Up, Jackknife, Squat and so on for your muscle. Those trainings are mighty tough, so I can not continue to do the training for 1 hour.

But, testers had to test this product before Nintendo put this on the market. They had to do resistance trainings for not their muscle but quality of the game. Their pain was must to tune Wii Fit. Perhaps that's one of the hardest game test in human history.

You may read episodes of the test of Wii Fit at Nintendo web site.

HIYO-COM has been renewed

2008-05-27T23:25:00.000+09:00

HIYO-KOM is one of popular XOOPS Cube sites for beginners in Japan. The site has been renewed. It became easy to use and got more accessibility.

In addition, the site has the module list. You may get a compatiblity information of modules from the list. And, users can review modules. A result of these reviews is displayed as a circle graph.

Japanese users think that any module lists are not there, but HIYO-KOM provides the list. That's useful for users who plan to build the site.

Important XOOPS Users for me

2008-05-26T23:50:00.001+09:00

Many citizens, students, hobbyist and so on in Japan are using XOOPS2 now. In addition, some CG web sites and game developer sites are using X2. That's a happy situation and an important motivation of me. I hope that they will migrate from X2 to XCL or new XOOPS Cube Base. But if they will stop using XOOPS series, I will be sad.

The following sites are very important XOOPS2 site for me.

Game*Spark Japan
Game*Spark is one of the most famous game fun sites on the world. And, Game*Spark Japan uses XOOPS2. I have to make XCL and next BASE as the attractive web application for Game*Spark.

Blender.jp
Blender.jp is a Japanese support site of blender that is a free software 3D tool. I am one of blender users. So I hope that they continue using XOOPS and will migrate to XCL or next BASE. If they choose other ways, I will feel down. Of course, I will keep efforts so that they will choose our application.

Modo community site
Modo Japanese users forum uses XOOPS2. Modo is a next generation 3D tool that is called a successor of LightWave3D. And, argon who is a member of XOOPS Cube community and a designer of Hoda-juku Distribution is a hot user of Modo. So I and he hope that Modo will not change their system from XOOPS2.

Shader.jp
Shader.jp is a famous site that explains techniques of the programable shader. Of course, the site is one of my favorite sites. Please keep using XOOPS series.

IDGA Japan
IDGA Japan Chapter is Japan branch of International Digital Game Association and uses XOOPS2. There are a blog, an event calender (piCal) and an event entry system. I have been using the entry system to go to study sessions of IDGA many times. If they will migrate to other systems, they should request me to migrate the site to XCL or next Base.;)

XSI Dojo
XSI Dojo is a very famous Softimage XSI user site. The site explains how to use XSI well. And, I have met the owner of XSI Dojo at XOOPS Cube study session #1. I requested him to keep his site by XOOPS series. Of course, I am a user of XSI Mod Tool that is Free Edition of XSI that is very high price! So if XSI Dojo stops using XOOPS, I will surely feel down.

Studio MoMo
Studio MoMo is the biggest CG creator community of Japan nad has very long history. The site had migrated from an original system to XOOPS2, some years ago (before XOOPS Cube fork). It gave many users (include me) a shock. But, XOOPS might be best solution for user community. I will develop a special module for CG sites.

The Report of XOOPS Cube study session #1

2008-05-25T20:27:00.004+09:00

Mr. halt who is one of the most popular PHP programers in Japan and a cool guy hosted XOOPS Cube study session #1 for beginners who want to know summary of XOOPS Cube. I and Ryuji went to this event to help his session and got problems of the project for beginners.

Many Japanese users recognize xoopscube.jp as the official XOOPS Cube site.
They don't know xoopscube.sourceforge.net, XUGJ and others. A top page rank of Google is an official site for them.
ABS Books are not there. So users have to research all in the net. But, they know only xoopscube.jp.
They don't know other sites that have enough informations and support forum like usadeki and XUGJ. xoopscube.jp doesn't informations how to install and how to use XOOPS Cube. They lose their way.
Install Wizard may be a long sequence and requests high skill about server control. We should check whether Install Manual under the doc directory is easy to read.
Beginners may not know the existence of Install Manual. We should prepare a guidance how to install. But, xoopscube.jp will not have such a document that is useful for users. Ummm.
Beginners don't know a develop style of the project and its stance. I needed to explain those directly to users. Sf.net Wiki of the project has the page about those, but users don't have a way to reach the page.

The study session gave very important informations to us. I hope that study session #2 will be hosted.

The Official Web Page

2008-05-23T07:47:00.000+09:00

xoopscube.jp had a plan to be closed, but now, two administrators and some semiretired moderators keep it. In actual fact, there are only two active members who use times for site management, so it's tough work to keep the site. The site doesn't have any informations that users need to use XOOPS Cube.

In Japan, xoopscube.jp is the top page rank about XOOPS Cube. Google guides beginners who want to use XOOPS Cube to xoopscube.jp. But they can't know how to use at xoopscube.jp

XOOPS Cube has links to community sites and guides users to the sites. By that, XOOPS Cube doesn't have community management and is a compact project. But, xoopscube.jp can not get enough community feature for users.

It's unexpected circumstances that xoopscube.jp can not do actions to get full documents, flesh news and massive forums. The current situation of xoopscube.jp gives ill effects to both the project and users, because xoopscube.jp is the top page rank. I think that xoopscube.jp should have links to existing documents of other sites, but xoopscube.jp may have their policy. I hope that a renewal of xoopscube.jp will help xoopscube.jp.

It's unhappy that a passion of the project and a passion of xoopscube.jp have difference. But, it's impossible to enhance the site by only two administrators, because ten administrators could not do it. the project does not force any, so they can do only their wish. And, it's a task of the project that users can not get enough informations through Google.

Therefore I decided to stop XOOPS Cube core development for a while. Anyway I can not keep enough free time to develop. And, I will concentrate to prepare renewal of the official web page of xoopscube.sourceforge.net. Don't worry. Our project is full of active developers now. So, this doesn't give any ill effects to both 2.1.5 and 2.2.0 branch.

See the forum for more informations. To keep our project compact, xoopscube.sourceforge.net should not have many many contents. But, xoopscube.sourcforge.net and sf.net Wiki will have to provide enough information for the first step.

There are local communities like xoopscube.jp. These communities don't have many volunteers, so these can not prepare enough informations. The project may have forced a task of the project to these communities. Renewal of the official web site will help communities.

Revival of Free Software (4)

2008-05-22T07:56:00.000+09:00

Lastly, I'm going to write the reason why I always feel the Free Software spirit from XOOPS and XOOPS Cube. When XOOPS Cube was forked from xoops.org, we got to plan to recover Free Software Activity at XOOPS. That's the revival of Free Software, and the revival of fun.

Why? The reason is that XOOPS had been pure Free Software. The XOOPS foundation smashed it, made the fear centralism that might Stalin likes and bans user accounts who like XOOPS by the reason that their love doesn't equal with foundation's love. But, don't forget that XOOPS had been pure Free Software.

When onokazu tried to develop MyPhpNuke and XOOPS1, most people didn't think that free software web applications will become "a seed of benefits". He wrote MyPhpNuke and XOOPS to learn how to write programs for his job. He is technical translator and wanted to translate technical factors more better. His effort to his job created XOOPS.

That's surely a action of Free Software.

XOOPS was one of pure Free Software Activity. After then, some people noticed that open source web applications bring benefits, So many new CMS were born. And, XOOPS was damaged by the XOOPS foundation. Now, XOOPS is often compared with other CMS, but XOOPS is one of nascent CMS that nobody did not tie it with business. I pay respect to onokazu's great works.

And our project is Revival of The Spirit that XOOPS had once. XOOPS Cube was written from a scratch, but XOOPS Cube has surely the spirit of XOOPS that was smashed by the foundation.

Revival of Free Software (3)

2008-05-21T07:52:00.000+09:00

As I wrote at the previous entry, all open source projects are not about IT/Web. There are commentariats in Japan who like to talk about a relationship between free software and business activity, but they don't take notice to such projects. Perhaps they don't know that such projects are on the earth.

Each developer has each motivation. Anybody can't fix those. It's sure that some open source projects in some genres give something to some developers. But that is not only one motivation for developers. There are the following projects on the earth:

There is no contribution to society.
Developers use money, but they never get money.
A project can not any changes to developers' career and developers' life.

However, there are developers who join to such projects. You don't need to analyze the psychology of the developers, if you are not psychologist. Anybody can not define motivations of developers who join to free software projects. Also motivations are freedom.

Some people asked me what benefits I get from XOOPS. And, some members of XOOPS community asked me whether the benefit is a motivation why I touch XOOPS. I think that they saw themselves. The reason why they feel that benefits were my motivation is that their motivation was benefits.

Developers act without benefits, if there is not uselessness.

Therefore, if you suspect a conspiracy of XOOPS Cube project because XOOPS Cube is IT/Web industry, that's idle speculation. You and we should use the energy to do it for other actions.

Revival of Free Software (2)

2008-05-17T23:43:00.000+09:00

Japan IT/Web industry is brisk. When we were young, our dream is a baseball player. But, now, young people want to become web service creator and keep their efforts.

In this country, IT/Web Open Source Software (OSS) has important implications. It changes developers' career, makes developers' chance and gives something to developers' life.

Open Source Products are used for business activity very well, (in IT industry). Some people think that Open Source has to be talked with business activity. Of course, there are various open source projects that are not about IT/Web in this planet, but they might not know those exist on the earth. Anyway a project that tries to run DOOM in iPod is out of their sight.

Anyway, it's good that activities are brisk. But, because IT/Web OSS is brisk for business activities, XOOPS Cube has to be tormented by misunderstanding.

As you know, XOOPS Cube is one of primitive Free Software Activity. But, people don't think so, because XOOPS Cube is IT/Web OSS that is used for business activity for most people.

Somehow, there is the insistence that Free Software projects should collaborate with companies and business activity directly, in these years, in Japan.

As you know, the relation between Free Software and business activity was figured in previous decades. You read it at the FSF web site. It is not bad to discuss it again, but many people don't need to take time to redefine it. If they think that such a discussion is must for OSS improvement, I request them to pay notice to all projects that include a excellent project that runs DOOM in iPod. They hope that just a specific project is developed and use "OSS improvement" to speak in a roundabout way.

The XOOPS Cube project receives contributions from anybody, but doesn't collaborate with companies directly. A collaboration is not a duty of a free software project. This clear and primitive direction takes a balance between free software and business activity automatically.

Revival of Free Software (1)

2008-05-16T23:24:00.000+09:00

In Japan, Open Source is often discussed with business activity. That's not bad. Formerly, we've gotten involved to Free Software Activity in a freenet that we've connected by using poor modem, when the internet and the word "open source" didn't still exist. In those days, those who are not interested in technology did not have taken no notice to our activity. Since the "Open Source" word was made, everything has been changed. Many many people became interested in Free Software and think to do something with Free Software now.

It's possible to do business activity through Free Software, because Free Software is freedom. But, Free Software Activity is not business activity. XOOPS Cube is one of primitive Free Software Activity. Therefore, I hope that XOOPS Cube is useful for busines activity and don't want to touch anything of business activity. The only thing that our project should do is keeping perfect freedom.

XOOPS Cube is in Public Domain. So anybody can contribute something to XOOPS Cube. XOOPS Cube doesn't check what is a contributor. He may be a student or a company. But, that is not important at all. The project doesn't need to plan to tie with a company and may keep to the stance to receive contributions from everyone.

Let me say that again. XOOPS Cube is primitive Free Software Activity. Existing other Free Software Activities have shown a way that we should go.

XOOPS as Free Software Activity has been damaged by f**k XOOPS foundation. So we have to revive XOOPS as Free Software Activity.

Argon took a part in MY FAMICASE EXHIBITION

2008-05-15T23:26:00.004+09:00

What is MY FAMICASE EXHIBITION? This is very very interesting event. In this event, various creators who grew with NES have designed a label of imaginary NES game title. The early part of the following video explains what MY FAMICASE EXHIBITION is to you, with English capture. (You don't need to read my poor English, so you're lucky!)

In fact, argon who is a member of XOOPS Cube community and a designer of Hoda-juku distribution took a part in this exhibition! He has worked in both video game industry and animation industry. Yes, his career is similar to my career.

His work is "The NinthRune" like Wizardry. Check it!

An ideal software design (2)

2008-05-14T23:26:00.000+09:00

In large scale systems/applications, a specification is prepared before. Basically it is trusty. So a software architect can design program for program and programers. But, large scale systems/applications orient rather program, not programers. Because such systems/applications are used for a long time. So these systems/applications should be flexible to respond a little change and have extendability. To implement these features, a software architect designs software on program ground, not programer ground. It devides software in rational modules.

That's very excellent. But, does it hold good in all cases?

Large scale systems/applications are just a kind of software. All of projects is not large scale. And, there are period, goal, scale, software life-time, runtime style (realtime or not?) and specialized programers. An ideal software design is optimal solution for those factors that is written during design period.

If someone see the design from another situation, he may feel that the design is not good.

Some architects quest for beautiful design. They think that is justice. But software design is not art that an architect dedicates his life. And software design is not game that an architect has fun. However, it's sure that there are not good guidances with the exception of large scale systems/applications. Some architects feel cool from those guidances and try to apply it to their project...

Tight situations may detach your design from an ideal software design that you think. On the other hand, tight situations sometimes bring you to optimal solution.

An ideal software design (1)

2008-05-12T23:31:00.000+09:00

Normally, we try to decide software design before a team begin writing program. That may be simple block wiring diagram or UML. Many programmers gather to your team for rapid development. The thing that you must do is software design. For that, you divide software in modules. That is a good design for program.

But your mission is that each programmer becomes able to bear part of programming. Can your design realize it?

A logical design for program and a logical design for programers have difference. If you design software and write its program yourself, you perhaps don't notice this truth.

An ideal design that have many modules for program often blocks specialized programers. That makes it impossible to start productive development.

There are many specialized factors of program --- makefile, memory management, resource management, peripheral, hardware control, content-pipeline, parallel processing, shader, effects, particle, animations, graphics, audio, cinema sound, AI, physics, geometry, procedural technology, script, network, debug system,third-party middleware and so on.

Can you design software by combining these specialized factors systematically? Perhaps, you can do it. But, an ideal software design that you've designed for program is bad news for programers who gather to a project. A game system requests a composite of their knowledges and their code from thebeginning. So a project becomes tangled.

Is an Object-Oriented Game Engine necessary? (2)

2008-05-10T01:11:00.001+09:00

Now, what is an ideal game object design in an object-oriented language? I think that a good game object design has been completed at former time. So a video game programing has been implementing a factor of object-oriented design since that time.

It's important that video game programers of the time did not want to realize object-oriented programing. They had been questing for productivity development and exciting video game. There is something that we should learn.

We can use full spec object-oriented programing language. I wrote that it is the cause that disorder our game object design at the previous entry. But video game programers of the time could not use C++ (and C!), so they used machine languages. A project that I have joined first was written in assembly. Under such a condition, programers can not quest for object-oriented design, so its design gets a good balance for game naturally.

Check it. The technique that we have used is Task System. Of course, video game programers are using this technique now with C++. But, programers of the time wrote the Task System in assembly, so current way and old way have difference.

Task System is one of popular video game development methods. That is a primitive memory block that consists data and jump addresses. Rewrite jum addresses to change a behavior. Call backed code can access member data by offset access. Polymorphism already came true. There is no "type", but it is similar to the compiled result of C/C++. We write this in C++ now. C++ has the vtable concept, so C++ can realize polymorphism better.

On the other hands, our project forbad that a task block accesses a jump address of other task blocks. In other words, we forbad the message communication between game objects.

It is not safety that a task block accesses a jump address of other task blocks, because there is no 'type'. C++ can handle it more better, because we can write safety down cast comparatively in C++. But, it's also difficult to debug. Another reason why we forbad it is that we could not find a merit from such a way.

Child tasks control own. But if these tasks need to work with other tasks, the parent task which is a manager role for children does the work. I don't know whether this way is optimum solution for us. But, it was easy to debug, tune and tweak, and was flexible for change.

Because there was not term "Object-Oriented" around us in those days, we didn't quest for it. Complacency of programers did not disorder game object design.

Is an Object-Oriented Game Engine necessary? (1)

2008-05-09T23:31:00.001+09:00

What is the validity of the class-hierarchy that makes GameObject class and specialize those for downward classes? In this case that each object passes a message to each other, the only task of the object list is telling a signal. Specialization like down-cast is done within each object. Nor there may be more strange code to do specialization.

(snip)

A rule of game (game-design) defines the situation that each object send a message to each other, from the top-view. Loosely-coupled like plug-in is not good solution for game. It requires a perfect description. If a new kind of game objects is added to code, all existing game object classes have to define response to the new class. In this jigsaw puzzle, a kind of piece has to define "joints" to all of other piece.

[The validity of managing Game Object without generalization - Worklog]

I understand his struggle, because I have ever tried to handle game-engine and graphics systematically with researching middle-ware, engine and scene-graph for several years now. But, in my project at my office, I can not live up to it. A video game programing that is real-time application requests performance always and many programers are assigned to a project, so a systematic architecture that makes a sacrifice of both performance and the early stage of projects is not useful.

High-level languages like C++ tempt us to change our programing style. Amazon and book stores display books that teach how to write object-oriented programming. We read these books and begin to plan to handle game object classes with object-oriented programming. It's sure that there are enough discussions about object-oriented architecture of large scale systems design. But, there are not enough discussions for video game application design, especially in Japan.

In America and Europe, developers discuss game object design. But, most of them develops FPS and RTS. These genres are a good match to object-oriented design. But all of games is not FPS and RTS. So many Japanese developers don't discuss game object class design. In other genre, it's necessary that a game core controls game totally. And, the most important thing of video game development is tuning and tweaking. In our world, an ideal architecture collects entertainment control panels to one place for easy to tune and tweak. Video game developers have to put entertainment feeling before the fixed spec documentation.

If we write source code with books that teach large scale system design, the game application feed programers' vanity. But the application is bad as video game program. Our ideal program design might be different from the large scale system. And, a video game object-oriented design might be different from a large scale system object-oriented design. So the books don't teach all thing to us. We have to find an answer ourselves. Japanese, American and European don't find the answer, yet.

The Next Base

2008-05-07T07:23:00.001+09:00

I invited public themes for the next generation for checking the spec of XOOPS Cube 1.0, before. But, I began to think that it's must to develop BASE for the purpose. Let's say a name of this BASE is "TEST BASE".

XOOPS Cube Legacy has been developed to emulate XOOPS2 JP. On the other hand, I think that TEST BASE should imitate RapidWeaver, because RapidWeaver Model can assimilate advantages of Nuke Style. Plus, we can shorten a development period by developing personal CMS. If a development period is short, it will be possible to explain a model of RapidWeaver to Linux/Windows users who don't have Mac OS X through TEST BASE. The decided spec will make theme development easy. Even if we will release TEST BASE as a concept model, it doesn't force anything to developers. That's an advantage of XOOPS Cube.

RapidWeaver depends on iPhoto, iMovie and iTunes for media management. This design is good for checking the spec of XOOPS Cube 1.0 through TEST BASE. Someone pointed to weak points of XOOPS2 JP, but this design (dividing CMS core and Media Management) will be good idea for these weak points.

I should write some spec documentation. When we developed XCL, the spec documentation was XOOPS2 JP. And, I made up for unenough documents with PDF document and Doxygen document. In this time, even if we imitate RapidWeaver, there are big difference between a native application and a web application. So we will need to take a different way from XCL, for keeping the same goal.

An Overview of Collision Detection in OGRE 3D

2008-05-06T07:35:00.002+09:00

OGRE3D provides some methods for collision detection. We, Japanese developers call collision detection "hit". Before I explain collision detection, I list factors of collision detection to share our recognization:

It's useful that many primitive form classes are defined for detect collisions. OGRE 3D provides ray, bounding sphere and Axis Aligned Bounding Box (AABB).
It's possible to handle triangle and planes at Collision Detection.
OGRE3D doesn't provide ellipse, cylinder and other high-order calculations.
It's possible to detect a collision between Ray and a triangle of a mesh.
We often use low level of detail meshes to detect collision quickly. Does OGRE 3D provide the method to do it?

I want to append a little explanation to the last item "low level of detail meshes to detect collision quickly". Japanese developers call such meshes "Hit Model". I don't know what to call it in English, so I describe it as Hit Model in this entry.

OGRE 3D provides all basic collision detections. Bounding Volume instances are generated automatically. For example, Mesh class generates Bounding Sphere and Bounding Box automatically and keep those. This thought is very happy and quick for programers, because they don't think about tools that generate collision data. But, it may be issue for video game development.

In the beginning, you may want to know how to detect collision between Ray and World Geometry. If the world geometry of your game is not height map but a static mesh (rigid model), it's easy to detect the collision. You need to check a collision between Ray and triangle of the world geometry. To do it, we use RaySceneQuery class instead of combination of primitive classes. This is very powerful thought.

A summary of RaySceneQuery is just Ray. But this class exists to handle collision detection. If you use Ray class, you have to write long code to detect collision between Ray and data of geometries in the scene that have possibility to collision with Ray. Plus, your program has to implement gradual detections from BoundingSphere to Triangle of the geometry with using Octree or Quadtree.

RaySceneQuery encapsulates such a standard collision detection process. RaySceneQuery returns the distance from the collision point, so it's easy to do Y-undulation. Some kinds of SceneQuery sub-classes are defined for other classes that work for Collision Detection.

Now, what do you think you need for the standard collision detection process? The scene has many meshes. And a mesh has many triangles. Features that we request to the engine are the following:

1) Removes the geometries that don't have the possibility of collision with the ray from the candidates.
2) Masks the geometries specified by us.
3) Uses bounding volume for the first collision check.
4) Keeps the gradation of 1) and re-uses at the next check.

Does RaySceneQuery provide these features? At the beginning, we want to understand all functions about collision detection of OGRE 3D.

Reciprocal help for security

2008-05-05T19:50:00.001+09:00

JP/CERT pointed security holes of a certain module of X2/XCL. The subject of us is how the community handles such security holes.

It's impossible that all developers avert miss of security holes. It's bad that developers don't feel anything from security holes. But, it's also bad that developers are afraid of miss and development. If someone doesn't support him, the volunteer developer may leave from freeware development.

JP/CERT pointed security holes and send patches to the developer. Therefore we don't need to consider how to handle security holes of the module that JP/CERT points. The subject that we're thinking is that the community can not do it.

My opinion is that the community should try to check source code and send patches, if at all possible. The XOOPS Cube needs to recover "the custom" that each developer supports each other. There are two issues that we have to break down for that.

1) Revilement (misplaced anger)
The developer who made a security hole feel crushed. So he is often offensive and insults a supporter who sends a patch to him. This is one of the causes that the community lost the reciprocal help of developers. A man who tries to send a patch has to keep strong heart. And, other developers should help the man.

2) Duty
It's nice that developers support each other. But, XOOPS Cube is citizen's project, so such supports are also volunteer. Unfortunately, the community often tries to change goodwill reciprocal help of developers to systematic duty (or institution). This is another cause that developers who are able to send a patch became tired. To lessen the psychological distress of developers, the project should push "feeling" that THIS IS VOLUNTEER PROJECT. And, if the community makes the feeling popular, that's great.

It's difficult to keep freeware activity, if the activity is unenjoyable. Security holes, the revilement and the duty are pain. The pain lets developers choose to cancel software development. A community often hopes to become big systematic organization. But, The organization needs to consider what the freeware activity is. XOOPS Cube defines it as anarchy. I think that we can recover the reciprocal help for security holes, because XOOPS Cube is anarchy. Here is not the duty at least.

The anarchism denies not voluntary establishment, but compulsory establishment.

OGRE 3D moves their source code repository from CVS to SVN

2008-05-03T10:16:00.000+09:00

OGRE 3D, that has a project model that the XOOPS Cube project referred to, moved their source code repository from CVS to SVN. We are using CVS now, because it's possible to manage a range of access right of comitters who are assigned to each modules on CVS. We imitated a project model of OGRE and imported this scheme. But, they got to use SVN, so we'd better check how OGRE 3D uses SVN.

Some programers don't want to check the repository of XOOPS Cube, because they are ashamed to use CVS, whatever the repository stores. I don't understand such an obsessiveness that great programers have, but it's good that XOOPS Cube will get to cover the pride of them, if SVN can run our project model.

Submit Test by mail

2008-05-02T10:07:00.000+09:00

I am traveling to take part in a maraton, so I'm going to check the feature of blogger.

Square Enix's Murata Talks Crystal Tools, Unreal Engine Initiatives

2008-04-29T09:54:00.003+09:00

Square Enix's Murata Talks Crystal Tools, Unreal Engine Initiatives.

WhiteEngine is the middleware of SquareEnix, that was unveiled in GDC. Many developers pay attention to MT Framework and WhiteEngine, because the video game industry of Japan did not have used "Engine" well. But, CAPCOM made MT Framework for DEAD RISING, LOST PLANET, DEVIL MAY CRY 4 and RESIDENT EVIL 5. These title is optimized for each platform, so many developers think that MT Framework has good quality and Japanese developers became able to use "Engine" well. Also WhiteEngine is multi platform engine for video game development. MT Framework is applied to PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. WhiteEngine is applied to PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. The flagship title of the engine will be FinalFantasy XIII.

And, WhiteEngine was renamed to CrystalTools. "Crystal" is important word for SquareEnix. "Tools" shows that this is not an engine. Perhaps, that is toolset for content-pipe-line and libraries.

BTW, when I heard this news, I thought that a name of CrystalTools is similar to CrystalSpace. CrystalSpace is also engine for video game development. What did they feel?

The future plan of XOOPS Cube (3)

2008-04-28T22:51:00.001+09:00

What you've experienced is more important than what programming language you can use. I wrote that in the previous entry. I can master C/C++ and write a part of game and application, but I can not write device drivers. I am not almighty, even if C/C++ is almighty. That is the actual skill of most programers.

In this entry, I'm going to write the reason why I expressed a programming language as an environment in this series.

I think that difference between different languages is very small than difference between different hardware, in especially the web world. Major languages that we can use for web application development are C#, Java, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby and VB. But, these languages don't have big difference, because web application runs on web browsers. Even if we choose any languages, what a web browser can not do is what we can not do.

If PHP can not run AJAX and Ruby can not connect to MySQL, my thought is different from this. But, in fact, all languages are equality for the spec that web application provides.

See Xbox 360. There are two different languages that are C++ and C#. C++ is the best language to use 100% of Xbox hardware spec. C# is excellent language, but Microsoft professed that C# is impossible to pass TCR (Technical Cerification Requirement), because C# is bad performance and unable to use hardware feature of Xbox 360. Here is a clear difference that becomes the criterion to choose a programming language. That is a difference between languages that I think.

The important thing is a platform as runtime environment. Web application development doesn't have such a difference on programming language. Therefore, the reason why package software XOOPS Cube chooses programing language is that users can use the environment in servers to run our programs. That is the same reason why SquareEnix chooses the target console of DragonQuest. Even if PlayStation 3 is greater than DS, SquareEnix doesn't have motivation to release DragonQuest on PlayStation 3. In addition, the web application development doesn't have different spec like difference between PlayStation3 and DS.

Because we don't need to stick to the language, we are sticking to PHP environment now. And, because we don't need to stick to the language, we will not stick to PHP environment in the future.

I repeat. What web browsers can do is what we can do. If Ruby can run the programable shader on the browser, I move to Ruby soon. But, what web browsers can not do is what we can not do. Our program just sends text to the browser. That's all. So we choose the popular environment.

We may find an evidence from discussion about languages of web application development in Japan. Because there is not big difference, the discussion starts from "the final phase of programing language discussion" and discuss a character of programers who use each language. For example,

PHP programers don't like learning, so PHP is not good language.
Ruby programers talk big, so Ruby is not good language.
Java programers are mass-produced programers who don't know true skills.

Oh, it seems a flame. Is this a discussion on programing languages really? This may be evidence that major languages don't have big difference for web application (that send text to the browser) development. Of course, that is important discussion for IT professional programers, but citizen's project XOOPS Cube would remain on the sidelines.

I don't want to force my thought to you. But, please bear in mind that your experience will be never lost, even if we change the environment. And, we are the position that can choose an environment. In addition, porting is far future story. ;)

The future plan of XOOPS Cube (2)

2008-04-27T01:44:00.001+09:00

PHP programing language is specialized for web application development. That's a rare language. But, even if there is a all-purpose programing language, that is not a reason why you choose the language. Because, most programers are not almighty.

Let's think that your company develops a new blu-ray recorder. And, it's possible to develop both of web page and firmware by using Java. Can Java programers begin firmware development after web page development? An answer is "No".

Programers bring to experience(knowhow) not programming language. Embedded programmers have rich experience to control hardware. Web programmers have rich experience to realize web service. It's easy that web application developers master other programming language for web application development. However, it's difficult that web application developers master embedded software for hardware, even if it's possible to write embedded program in the same programing language that they always use.

All-purpose programing language for many categories is very good. But, that's nonsense for most programers. That's the actual skill of most programers. Meanwhile your experience on web application development is useful for any programing languages. It's important what you've experienced, not what programing language you can use.

What's interesting is that programming languages don't have difference on web application spec. So, to take advantage of your experiences, we should choose the best environment suited to the times.

The future plan of XOOPS Cube (1)

2008-04-26T19:28:00.000+09:00

The following is the history of Dragon Quest (you know as Dragon Warrior) that is the most popular RPG in Japan:

Dragon Quest I 1986 NES
Dragon Quest II 1987 NES
Dragon Quest III 1988 NES
Dragon Quest IV 1990 NES
Dragon Quest V 1992 SNES
Dragon Quest VI 1995 SNES
Dragon Quest VII 2000 PlayStation
Dragon Quest VIII 2004 PlayStation2
And, Dragon Quest IX 2008 NintendoDS

PHP is the most popular environment for rental servers in at least Japan. It's easy to start XOOPS Cube on rental servers, because these servers provide PHP environment. However, if PHP will become minor environment in the future, we'd port XOOPS Cube to other environment. XOOPS Cube doesn't have a duty to share PHP's future.

The reason why Square Enix,Inc has chosen the target console of DragonQuest is not agreement to hardware spec and hardware design. They have always chosen just popular game console. That is logical choice for package developers.

Perhaps, the next popular environment for OSS web application is Ruby. I thought that was .NET. When Ruby will be the popular environment for rental servers, we will port XOOPS Cube to Ruby. When PHP become minor, it's no better that your web programing skill is blocked by share of environment.

The activity of XOOPS Cube organizes the architecture and the feeling of program. If there are the same architecture, the same feeling and the same structure of DB, it's easy to port core and some modules.

You may have different opinion. So I will write about my thought of programming languages also tomorrow. Anyway, porting is far future story.

Supplement to "RapidWeaver gives hints to us"

2008-04-25T23:16:00.008+09:00

My poor English may have made you misunderstand yesterday. I intended to say about what structure the next BASE should have. For that, I compared approaches of three applications that are XOOPS2, eZp and RapidWeaver.

XOOPS2/XCL

It's possible to duplicate D3 modules and place those horizontally. But, even if you want to place "support forum" under "static product introduction page", that's impossible by default.

eZp

eZp is tree-structure. And all contents are a kind of objects that eZp defines and become node of the site-tree. But, by the architecture, eZp is heavy, difficult to manage and ill-fitted to blog and forum.

RapidWeaver

RapidWeaver is tree-structue but doesn't handle all contents as a node of the site-tree. For example, blog is a node. But entries are not a node and are contained to the blog that provides management features to users.

Conclusion
RapidWeaver has a good balance between Program-Doctrine and tree style. So it's good idea to research to RapidWeaver for the next generation BASE development.

RapidWeaver gives hints to us

2008-04-24T23:01:00.002+09:00

I had touched many many CMS, especially XOOPS2, eZ publish, TikiWiki and RapidWeaver. XOOPS2 shows the Nuke Doctrine. eZp shows the Page-Base Doctrine that is antithetical to XOOPS2. RapidWeaver shows a balance and gives big hint to us.

Problems of X2

XOOPS2 is good core, because module developers are promised freedom on programing. This freedom means that programers don't need to consider connectivity with the core. The core manages only an existence of modules. The core doesn't know what a content is. And each module defines each content.

But, it's a problem that the core doesn't know what a content is. Site owners can assign modules to the site, but can't assign pages to the site. For example, it's impossible to make a child pical page under a pico page. That is a spec and a limitation.

eZp's merits & demerits

Personally I call a style like eZp "Tree Style". That's just CMS. Site Owners can make a new node of the site tree as a content under the root node. Also the owners can add a new nodes under the existing node. This issimilar to file system, 'intuitive' and flexible structure.

A node is an object that the eZp core defines. It's possible that each nodes use each template, total access control, multi-language layer and the general management. The general management means that site owners can edit, move and delete node, even if the node is a special node that human being should not control directly.

Any contents should be controled as an object that eZp defines. That's a merit and a demerit. When you get that you can assign static pages freely, you are surprised at possibility of the Node Style. But, when you try to install forum or blog like XOOPS, you encounter issues.

eZp handles a content as an object. A static page is an object and a node. Also a comment of forum is an object. A topic is a child node of the forum node. And, a responce is a child node of the topic node. Also a entry is a child node of the blog node. And a comment and a trackback are a child node of the entry node.

If your site have 344 messages of the forum, 36 entries and 2056 SPAM comments for the entries, the tree of your site has many node and complex structure. I don't agree that a grain size of my profile page equals a grain size of a SPAM comment that recommends Viagra.

You can handle all contents as a node and an object of eZp, so it's possible to move a comment node from the blog to the forum, make a multi-language layer to a comment node. But, there is no point.

eZp is very very excellent professional CMS. So it is not best way for all XOOPS owners. "Node Style" that handles all content as an object that the core defines is not perfect solution.

RapidWeaver

RapidWeaver is home page creation tool at Mac OS X. Basically, the RapidWeaver is similar to eZp. You add sibling pages and child pages to the existing page. RapidWeaver recognizes a page. So it's possible to move, edit and delete each page.

But, Blog, Photos and Download type page are handled as a one page. Blog has many entries. These entries are data that Blog page manages. RapidWeaver doesn't handle each entry as a page. You can move blog page to other page, but can not fetch a entry from the blog and move the entry to other page. That's right. Nobody wants to do it. Of course, you can edit and delete entries at the blog management. See the following screenshot for more informations.

RapidWeaver gives many hint to us, so check 30 days free trial version if you have Mac OS X.

Wii classic controller SNES edition

2008-04-20T23:16:00.004+09:00

This is a present from nintendo for platinum membership users who have bought many games of Wii/DS last year.

As you know, this is a replica of the game pad of a certain game console that Japanese people call "Sauper Famicon". You know Super Famicon as SNES.

This controller is a kind of Wii classic controllers.

So it's possible to connect this to Wii controller and enjoy games of virtual consoles!

Thanks nintendo!

Will XOOPS change its license?

2008-04-18T23:38:00.001+09:00

XOOPS Cube project wrote a new core from a scratch and licensed the core under the modified BSD. By that, XC became able to link with many kinds of libraries. Also xoops.org may choose a change of the lisence, because they plan that XOOPS3 will contains JpGraph. JpGraph freeware edition is licensed under QPL. QPL conflicts to GPL, so GPL software can not link with QPL code like JpGraph. This is the reason why I think that XOOPS3's license will not GPL.

Now, XOOPS3 code that we can check on SVN is XoopsSphere and is lisenced under GPL. I hread that XOOPS3 is developed in Beijing, so another XOOPS3 may exist at Beijing and may be licensed under a new license different from GPL.

If XOOPS3 will change its license, I think that is better. GPL is not good for PHP freeware world, whether we agree FSF activity. GPL is great license, but, in PHP world, there are many libraries that take license conflicted to GPL. It's hard-to-use for developers who operate under PHP freeware activity.

Get pitch, yaw, roll from Quaternion

2008-04-16T01:00:00.000+09:00

Gets the angle from the quaternion. You may think the following ways at first.

Calculates the pitch angle and the yaw angle, that a direction you give and another direction of the quaternion make. (Ignores Z-ROLL)
Gives two vectors that are the front direction and the up direction, makes a projection and calculates pitch, yaw and roll angle.

On the other hand, here is an expression to get angles from x, y, z and w of the quaternion:


float Quaternion::getPitch()
{
  return atan2(2*(y*z + w*x), w*w - x*x - y*y + z*z);
}

float Quaternion::getYaw()
{
  return asin(-2*(x*z - w*y));
}

float Quaternion::getRoll()
{
  return atan2(2*(x*y + w*z), w*w + x*x - y*y - z*z);
}

The angles gotten by this expression are the shortest possible path. These may be not the value that you hope and not good for re-calculation. But, it's useful for dump and monitor.

Parallel programming for multi-core CPU

2008-04-14T07:52:00.001+09:00

I've finished reading this book. The book is sold in only Japanese, is written by FIXSTARS that is famous company about CELL programming, and explains how to start parallel programming with pthread and Wind32 thread API for the beginner. A little explanation about OpenMP and CELL is at the back of the book.

The book teaches data parallel, task parallel and pipe-line parallel to us though sample source code. Even if you have forgotten about pthread, you can recollect all. But, because Mac OS X doesn't implement sem_init(), it is impossible to practice a sample program about semaphore. However, these days, condition variable of pthread is used instead of semaphore, so that's no problem.

P.S.
This book is sold in only Japan. In addition, the world have many books that may be better than this book. But, I tried to write this entry to keep same content of my two blog if at all possible.

Release of HD-1.0.1

2008-04-12T09:07:00.002+09:00

HD-1.0.1 which is minor update version from HD 1.0 is available. This package is base on XCL 2.1.4. But, the package has fixed #1924223, that is a bug of XCL 2.1.4.

Download from here.

If you are using HD-1.0.0 or preview edition, update with the following steps:

- Download hd_update_1_0_1.*
- Upload contents of the archive.
- Update each module at module management of legacy module in control panel.

The free lunch is over

2008-04-11T00:27:00.001+09:00

Do you know why programers keep efforts to learn parallel processing architecture? There was a turning point. Mr. Herb Sutter who is Software Architect of Microsoft expressed developers' job as "man eating free lunch". The impact of his message was explained simply in an article "PC Watch - The decisive tide to the heterozinnias multi-core":

This is represented by the message "free lunch is over" that became famous in 2005 in U.S.A. The message is that Mr. Herb Sutter who is Software Architect of Microsoft has begun to say in columns.

CPU had aimed to enhance the performance of single core heretofore. It means free lunch for software. The only thing that the software does was eating a performance that CPU increases.

However, the situation has changed because a CPU vendor turned to multi-core. The single thread performance of the general-purpose CPU core does not suddenly improve under the present conditions. On the other hand, multi-thread performance suddenly rises by multi-core. Therefore, software developers have to change the software side drastically to parallel processing architecture, if they try to use the performance of CPU.

"The Free Lunch Is Over" showed a new way to many engineers. Our (programers') job had gotten easy from year to year, because the performance of CPU had been rising. While it was possible to improve the single core, programers didn't need to do something. However, it became impossible to improve the single core, so programers have to strive to acquire multi-core programing. New era unfolded.

Even if you have experience to write full or inline assembly for the performance old time, you don't need to imagine assembly programing again, because assembly is not effective for modern CPU. Those CPU has long long pipeline, so it's impossible that human being optimize program in assembly. Programers have to write programs in C and tweak compile-options for performance tuning. This situation makes us feel less stressed.

C keeps the position as the best effective language for multi-core programing for the duration. And, C++ is a good language to develop games productively. It seems that C# may go away from game development situation.

XAMPP supports SSL

2008-04-08T23:42:00.004+09:00

I'm ashamed. I thought that a holiday web programer like me can not get SSL environment on local PC for test, but XAMPP has already provided the environment to me. In addition, it's default, so I don't need to do anything.

For OpenSSL support please use the test certificate with https://127.0.0.1 or https://localhost

Oh, no...

I'm going to check #1709886 right now, which shumida and nobunobu are modifying.

Important Test at 2.1.4 RC

2008-04-08T12:48:00.002+09:00

We did not get reports about important test items at 2.1.4 RC, except Request#1914552(this request was rejected by the contributor). I thought that I have to check unreported items. However, the report about #1709886 was submitted to xoopscube.jp. A status of other items is the following:

#1779754 is not reported.
#1912990 was reported in some cases. But, I got reports that some modules can not be worked at 2.1.4. I think the cause of those troubles is #1912990.
#1729813 is not reported.

I may be able to check issue of SSL-login by the post of xoopscube.jp. So I'll check also #1779754. But, the reason why I could not check #1709886 is that I don't know how to setup SSL environment on my local PC for test. Please, someone tell me how to do it. :(

CrazyBump

2008-04-05T01:15:00.006+09:00

CrazyBump is an excellent tool that generates Normal Map, Displacement Map and Occlusion from photgraph. You may tweak the generated data by tweaking parameters with real-time preview.

The beta version is free in 30 days. The stable version will be not free. This tool deserves to be paid money. Professional game developers look very much to this tool. And, I want to use this at also home, because the tool is easy to use for programers. Please, low price!

I tried it.

Download a picture from Turbo Squid for test.

Start CrazyBump. Click "Open photograph from file".

Umm. I thought that I should select the right shape.

Great!

By the way, the normal mapping is one of the standard expression of the next-gen video games. It's impossible to make normal map by hand, so anybody presents a new way how to use normal map with a new tool.

For example, some tool bakes shadow to texture by the normal map(*). This covers the weak point of the normal map expression. It's impossible to do such texture baking by hand.

This movement is the chance for 3D tool vendor. So they will present many new ways with their new products.

(*) This way is not useful for the case which the light-source moves. But, if a game uses light-map, the light-source can not move. So that's not big problem.

Multi-language Document

2008-03-29T10:57:00.002+09:00

XOOPS Cube has Doxygen document in English. minahito_sandbox of XCube_PHP4 tries to apply multi-language to documents. Of course, it needs to prepare translated documents.

The schema is very simple. In doxygen, it's possible to write document comments on different place from source code. For example, you may have the file including the following comments at different place from program:


/**
 * @class XCube_Root
 * @brief ....
 *
 * @function getRenderSystem
 * @brief ...
 * @param ...
 */

However, doxygen can not know signatures of functions with only such files. So it gets important informations like signatues from source code. As you know, in doxygen, document comments are embedded to source code normally.

The multi-language examination uses this doxygen's feature. Our shell command removes original comments from source code, and adds files including only comments in Japanese to doxygen. You can generate documents with 'make' right now.

make doxygen
make doxygen_ja

When you try to generate none-default languages (not English), makefile will use unix/linux command. So you need bash environment. If your OS is Mac OS X, terminal supplies bash environment to you. Don't forget to install doxygen so that it's possible to call doxygen CUI from terminal. If your OS is windows OS, cygiwn is good environments for you.

Intel Threading Building Block

2008-03-23T01:53:00.003+09:00

Intel Threading Building Block (TBB) is the C++ template library for parallel processing. That is made for PC applications. But, Intel had the speech about this at GDC. So Intel may think that TBB is useful for game programing. There is worth that we research this.

I heard about a part of TBB at GDC. I imagined that Intel Theading Building Block is the intel edition of SPURS and that's not useful for game console, because major game consoles don't have Intel CPU. But, TBB is independent library, tied to pthread and boost thread and usable with PowerPC architecture like Mac OS X.

TBB makes it possible to change Logical Task Programming to parallel processing. That's interesting very much. But, it's impossible to use the library with heterogeneous multi-core like PS3. There is a bit possibility to use it with Xbox 360.

TBB is dual licenses, you may use TBB freely by GPL. I bought the book published by O'Reily and read this for the time being.

XOOPS Cube Legacy 2.1.4 released!

2008-03-22T23:55:00.001+09:00

XCL 2.1.4 is available. 2.1.4 is minor upgrade version from 2.1.3, fixed many bugs and implemented some small features. Thanks all contributors who joined to 2.1.4 RC testing!

Download from here.

Upgrade from 2.1.3 to 2.1.4
Remove mainfile.php and /install directory from the package not to break your current environment. Next, upload files of the package to your server. Finally, do update modules indicating red icon in the module management of the control panel. You may close the site in the control panel to hide your upgrading.

Upgrade from 2.1.4RC to 2.1.4
There are a few changes. You don't need to upload(overwrite) many files. The module you need to update is only 'legacy'. Upload files of legacy of 2.1.4 to legacy directory of your site. If you want more little tasks, you may upload only template directory. And, you need to upload include/version.php. After then, go to the module management in the control panel and update legacy module.

About Request #1914552
2.1.4 RC implemented this patch, but it was removed because the patch doesn't have effects to solve the issue that the patch tried to solve. So CJK (Chinese, Japanese and Korean) translators don't need to follow this patch that we announced at 2.1.4 RC.

For new install
2.1.4 RC installer did not contain tw_big5, whether modules had contained tw_big5. 2.1.4 installer contains tw_big5, so you can install XCL with tw_big5 this time!

Staff
- Gigamaster (xoopserver)
- GIJOE
- gusagi
- hiro1173
- jidaikobo
- kilica
- Mikhail
- minahito
- mumincacao
- nbuy (aka nobu)
- nobunobu
- okuhiki
- onokazu
- tohokuaiki
- tokitam
- tom_g3x
- wanderer

PowerPC Personal Computer

2008-03-22T02:13:00.001+09:00

All major game consoles take PowerPC class. There are many special technics to write high-performance code on PowerPC. In holidays, we were able to try it with ApplePC, but that's old story. Because ApplePC changed from PowerPC to Intel, there are not reasonable PCs to practice in PowerPC programing at home now. How can I try PowerPC and multi-core programing in home?

There are old mac mini, latest iMac and PLAYSTATION3 in my home.

My old mac-mini is not multi core, but that's valuable for me, because the mac-mini is small, light and good to enjoy PowerPC programing.

The current my PC, iMac is dual core and good to practice in multi-core programing. However, intel core duo is not taken by major game consoles. Therefore, I can practice in pure multi-core programing, but that's not useful directly for my job.

PLAYSTATION3 may be useful. It's possible to install Linux and practice in heterogeneous muliti-core programing. Of course, heavy linux environment is inconvenient to program, than PS3 SDK, but there is no chose, because standard PCs don't have heterogeneous multi-core. Fortunately, we can get all of tool-chain of PS3 except specialized libraries like SPURS.

PowerPC multi-core PCs like Power Mac G5 are valuable very much in retrospect.

Working hours are not enough to research multi-core programing. I should have researched more in R&D status. Now, our team had completed R&D and began developing a product. That's good. But, I want time for more trial and error. My PCs are valuable a little for that.

Many expert developers got ways in multi-core parallel processing in games. I don't arrive at such stages, yet.

Let's test 2.1.4 RC

2008-03-20T12:10:00.003+09:00

2.1.4 RC is available! RC is "Release Candidate". That is meaning "test, please" edition. "Test" is most important for QA. Like coder, testers are volunteer in XOOPS Cube.

All volunteers live a civil life, so there is not long free time for volunteer activity. If you keep free time per day from 30 minutes to 1 hour, that's unenough but very good!

Corders pass all of their free time for coding, so they can not test all things with all environments. But that's no problem, because there are many volunteers for testing in community. All of citizen's open source projects has the same situation. But, there are many volunteers for tester like corders in community, so that's no problem.

Test needs man powers. Forum and each local community are effective for test. You may share a result of your test by writing like the following:

> No problem. It seems that my using modules are green.
>
> Apache : xxx.xx.xxx.
> MySQL : xxx.xxx.xxx
> PHP : 5.1.2
> Module : Protector, Pico and...

Testers are a staff. The project has to add testers' name to CHANGELOG and release notes. I can't read most languages, so if you are webmaster in a local support community, please write reporters' name on sf.net froum. Of course, if there are bug reports, write those and reporter's name on the bug tracker.

The Unknown Feature of Installer

2008-03-18T23:56:00.002+09:00

There is an unknown feature of X2 (Legacy) Installer. By writing ID & password on passwd.php, you can protect your installer directory by BASIC authentication. What a relief!

･･･We may recommend this for end-users.

I didn't know this feature! When I check the installer around the topic of extra_languages, I found this feature as it happens.

XOOPS Cube Legcy 2.1.4 RC has been released!

2008-03-15T18:22:00.003+09:00

XCL 2.1.4 RC is available for test. 2.1.4 is minor upgrade version from 2.1.3, fixed many bugs and implemented some small features. As you know, test is important for quality and needs man powers. Join to test 2.1.4 RC, please.

If you are webmaster using XCL and have some free time for volunteer activity, check whether XCL 2.1.4 RC doesn't give any troubles to you.

Download from here.

Maybe, next week, the project will release the stable edition. Let's test RC!

Important Upgrade Topics
You may check whether these fixes work correctly in your environment.

===Request #1914552===
This is important additional patch for Multi-byte languages like CJK (Chinese, Japanese and Korean). The installer tried to create database with default-character-set specified by my.cnf, so that may causes garbled display in CJK. This patch is patch to solve the issue for Japanese submitted by Japanese contributors. But, that's also sample for other multi-byte languages. Your mother language may solve garbled display by the following rule:

1. Makes /html/install/language/{lang}/createdatabase_mysql.php.
2. Write code there. The following is sample in Japanese:


<?php
$result = $this->db->query("CREATE DATABASE ".XOOPS_DB_NAME." DEFAULT CHARACTER SET ujis");
if ($result == false) {
 $result = $this->db->query("CREATE DATABASE ".XOOPS_DB_NAME);
}
?>

This tries to create database with 'ujis', not 'latin1'. You may try to copy this file to your language directory and replace 'ujis' with your language code to work XCL correctly.

===Fix Bug #1779754===
It was impossible to post comments correctly in the modules having "extraParams". This fix has to be confirmed with various modules.

===Fix Bug #1912990===
XBecause XCL didn't run correctly on some environments, XCL stooped using PHP_SELF and began using REQUEST_URI instead of it. We have to confirm that any troubles don't occur on existing environments. Is your environment green?

===Fix Bug #1729813===
(This is Japanese XoopsMultiMailerLocal)
This is old fix, but RC got an additional patch around this. These patches might fix NOTICE and send a mail correctly.

===Fix Bug #1833146===
In Theme Manifesto, you could use "licence" item, but that was TYPO. License is right. By that, XCube_Theme loads both of 'license' and 'licence' to member property $mLicense and $mLicence. But, XCube_Theme::mLicence is deprected member property. If you write a new manifesto in your theme since now, write 'license' not 'licence'.

===Fix Bug #1738936===
Validator of XOOPS Cube is non-conforming RFC for circumstance in some countries, but it has to accept the mail addresses that is RFC compliant. Anyway XCube_EmailValidator was fixed by this policy. We hope that programers checks the regex-expression of XCibe_EmailValidator::isValid().

Needs confirming

===Bug #1709886===
This bug was fixed at old versions, but nobody has not confirmed this. To close this item, we hope that someone checks whether you can login through SSL with extra program, even if you don't use old extra program for SSL login.

===Bug #1801317===
Disconnected after I change the "Search Options" ... This bug's Resolution is "Works For Me". We need more informations to decide whether this bug was fixed by previous versions. If you know some issues or some possibility about this issue, tell us, please.

Upgrade from 2.1.3 and 2.1.4 RC

Remove mainfile.php and /install directory from the package not to break your current environment. Next, upload files of the package to your server. Finally, do update modules indicating red icon in the module management of the control panel. You may close the site in the control panel to hide your upgrading.

Change Log

[Bug Fix - From Bug Tracker]
- Fix Bug #1779754 - cannot POST extraParams on XOOPS Comment integration
- Fix Bug #1833191 - [lang] lisense message of installer
- Fix Bug #1867504 - showall anchor text must be urlencoded (Search Func)
- Fix Bug #1868269 - Notice[PHP] at japanese/xoopsmailerlocal.php
- Fix Bug #1880410 - Too strict checking for block's weight
- Fix Bug #1887557 - XoopsObjectGenericHandler::getCount has doesn't use variable
- Fix Bug #1888226 - Bio in users table doesn't use Validator
- Fix Bug #1895776 - Installer settingmanager.php
- Fix Bug #1897588 - Language misrecognition on Install
- Fix Bug #1899424 - Could not work sort perfectly in image manager
- Fix Bug #1899947 - 2nd Installer never activate blocks
- Fix Bug #1908649 - missing file_exists arg in helpimage modifiers
- Fix Bug #1901153 - tell a friend doesn't work
- Fix Bug #1901334 - Wrong module version display in the module list
- Fix Bug #1904092 - redirect_header failed keep session
- Fix Bug #1908539 - Smarty "regex_replace" Modifier Template Security Bypass
- Fix Bug #1885392 - Cannot get cookiePath rightly
- Fix Bug #1897588 - Language misrecognition on Install
- Fix Bug #1897089 - xoops_redirect argument too match escape
- Fix Bug #1804621 - admin.php + mainfile writeable = path disclosure vulnerabili
- Fix Bug #1900435 - ClickableConvert miss email address
- Fix Bug #1911181 - The danger where session ID leaks exists
- Fix Bug #1911191 - $GLOBALS['xoopsTpl'] is overwritten
- Fix Bug #1912990 - Use REQUEST_URI instead of PHP_SELF
- Fix Bug #1914480 - default_charset in the installer
- Fix Bug #1914552 - Adding DEFAULT CHARACTER SET into installer
- Fix Bug #1905910 - Wrong dependencies in templates for 2nd Installer

[Bug Fix - From "XCube" Bug Tracker]
- Fix Bug #1833146 - Typo : "Lisence" on Xcube_Theme.Class.php
- Fix Bug #1835831 - Locale namespace
- Fix Bug #1902823 - Controller cannot set extra root path at site config?
- Fix Bug #1738936 - Mail address which conforms to RFC2822 is refused Validation

[Patches - From Feature Request Tracker]
- Request #1905593 - Needs IsReverseProxy in site_default.ini.php
- Request #1898144 - Modifying 2nd Installer

[Other Changes/Enhancements]
- Added Traditional Chinese Message Catalogs (language pack).
- Patch #1875606 - Added Portuguese Message Catalogs (language pack by Mikhail Miguel)
- Patch #1897498 - Password charactor check

Staff

Gigamaster (xoopserver)
GIJOE
gusagi
hiro1173
jidaikobo
kilica
Mikhail
minahito
mumincacao
nbuy (aka nobu)
nobunobu
okuhiki
tohokuaiki
tokitam
tom_g3x
wanderer

Diff between XC and XCL(X2): Render Sequence

2008-03-13T00:03:00.018+09:00

Some documents explain about Generic Render Sequence. You may see Wiki, PDF, samples and video. This entry explains difference between XC and X2 at rendering. It shouldn't contain this to "official" Wiki now, because XOOPS Cube has to be explained without XCL and X2. (In the future, I will merge this to other Wiki documents)

Look at the following:

This is a theme format of XOOPS2 that consists of five place holders for block array and one place holder for a module. After those six place holders are rendered, the theme becomes renderable with quoting results of those place holders. XOOPS2 knows fix place holders, so it's difficult to extend. We, users assign blocks to five place holders in the control panel:

In XOOPS Cube, CMS shouldn't have relations to specific theme format directly. This is what many users have wished.

XOOPS Cube has flexiblity not the fixed format. But, how to implement that? Generic Render Sequence uses Sequence-ID, instead of fixed columns --- "left column", "right column" and so on.

It's important to understand Sequence-ID.

Normally, rendering execution sequence is different from program execution sequence. For example, theme is used by CMS core executed firstly, but has to be rendered lastly. Sequence-ID is the mechanism that separates rendering execution sequence from execution sequence.

In next XOOPS Cube, each program (Task) can not render directly and has to use Render-Operation including Sequence-ID.

The Collector of the root collects Render-Operation by taking a tour of the task list. After then, the collector sorts operations in order and begin rendering. In this time, later rendering can quote results of previous rendering. By this mechanism, themes quote a result of each place holder:

Of course, this basic mechanism is usable for any compositions.

Check again. The collector is an empty at the beginning:

If the collector collects operations simply, the group of operations will be in out-order like the following:

But, the collector collects operations with sorting. So operations will be in order lastly:

Then, the core executes rendering in order with each render system specified by each operation. Because "later rendering can quote results of previous rendering", lastly the theme will be rendered completely:

Incidentally, the theme operation is tied up with the special render-target that takes a role of the screen buffer. That is the reason that result of the final output is displayed to browser.

But, this mechanism is useful for programers but has to be hidden for end-users. Even if this mechanism is powerful for purpose of XOOPS Cube, CMS (BASE) has to provide control panel for users to assign contents to place holders, like XCL and X2. By reading Manifesto, CMS (BASE) gets a count of place holders of the theme and a kind of those and reflects those to the control panel:

I think that place holder informations are written on [Theme] chunk. But, Manifesto is extendable and contains various informations, so [BASE Name] chunk may contain the specific information for the Base.

BTW, render-operations can be tagged by programs. Later rendering can quote results of previous rendering by also the tag. It's usuful for bread crumbs list and banners.

Generic Render Sequence is fixed pipeline of the core and not exchangable for BASEs. Decided rendering-spec makes it easy to make programs and share those, because rendering-logic of all BASEs but Legacy is unified. Meanwhile, Generic Render Sequence is very flexible, so you may really do many things after understanding the mechanism completely.

Distributions show up and go next

2008-03-06T01:08:00.001+09:00

The HD distribution has been released. Congratulation! This release is the important point for us. XOOPS Cube has been designed as the base model for expert customizing, distributions and new BASEs. But, nobody proved it, so many users think Package_Legacy is only one package as like XOOPS2 "official" package and have requested that the project stops developing Core (our true goal) and develops Legacy.

Here is one more important thing. The project had been talking the direction of the project, but it was not understood for a long time. The cause is that I am not good at explanations.

But, today, the HD distribution is practicing the direction of the project. I don't need to explain the same thing many times. The HD distribution is liked by Japanese users. And, other distributions will show up. Good.

Only one package needs political power for the conflict of requests. Mr,A likes a module that Mr,B dislikes. Mr,A wants a simple package that doesn't have any modules, but Mr,B wants a package that collects useful modules that contains a certain module that Mr,A dislikes. Here are two solutions. The project rules everything as god(*). Or, it makes everything free.

As you know, the project took "Anarchy". If you want "god style", you may go to xoops.org.

However, it's weak point that distribution development is not easy, even if Legacy is too old architecture and not ideal of the project. The project has to progress the examination of "Manifesto" and releases sample downloader/uploader. I said this is one of the most important spec. But the development was not done because a few developer had to face many ToDo like Legacy.

If automatic maintainance tool exists, it's become easy to develop distribution. Simple distribution may be just a "Manifesto" file that lists recommended modules. It's project's task to organize a underbody, like Manifesto and up/download mechanism.

Anyway, by some distributions, I became able to concentrate to core development. I want to come home early.

(*) In XOOPS, a inactive developer becomes a god.

One render-target of the site

2008-02-28T01:40:00.002+09:00

The next XOOPS Cube and its CVS didn't become any topics in Japan, but Early Adopters from overseas have mailed some technical questions to me. One of those points out a defect of XOOPS Cube's spec.

Normally, output of CMS is the assembly of parts. So most CMS compounds final output from a theme (skin) and output of each part. For that, template files of that have relations with final output are the plural number. If CMS has only one form like Blogger, we can handle all templates as one file. But, XOOPS and other CMS are not Blog like Blogger.

It's no problem that there are the plural templates for constructing sites. But, it's more better if users can have an option to construct the site with one template. The mail points it. It's useful for professional users.

In fact, XOOPS Cube is not good at handling one template, because XOOPS Cube considered about how well to handle CMS rendering. The mechanism of rendering has been specialized for divided sequences. Like XOOPS is unable to render with one template, XOOPS Cube was unable to do it.

I have considered about this these days and found the solution. When BASE links the screen target to a render-operation of all tasks, XOOPS Cube may be able to render with one template and the plural operations. A part of the generic render-sequence is exchangable. Professional can make some programs as re-usable tasks for this purpose.

Anyway that's special case. But I welcome case-studies.

BTW, the hoda-juku distribution had to encounter the limitations of XCL. The next XOOPS Cube is able to solve their challenge easily. The distribution is the best case-study for next XOOPS Cube.

The impact of Xbox LIVE community games

2008-02-22T22:30:00.000+09:00

Revolutiooooon! Microsoft announced the great plan in GDC. In the near future, we will be able to share games that are developed in XNA through XBOX live that is a kind of social networks. Developers of creators club register their games. And, other creators check those games and report bugs and issues. After then, games are downloadable for the world. Users can download games and reviews those, like YouTube. I don't like Microsoft, but I pay due respect for their achievements at games.

I have to thank my parents. If I am younger and meet XBOX + XNA at school days, I might be engrossed in programing without going school.

Microsoft does really great works. They will change life of many many people. That's "revolution" and dawn of a new era. Many net developers had felt new era by 2.0 at once. We're feeling new era now! I can understand "2.0". That's exciting!

(However, please buy also PS3, because I belong to PS3 title development. PS3 is not open for game development, but "sexy" console very much!)

I'll release the Script Engine as open source license in the near future. If XNA creators use my library as middleware, I'll be glad.

Busy at the office

2008-02-19T00:55:00.002+09:00

My recent weekday's schedule is:

23:45 Come home.
00:50 Go to the bed.
07:00 Uprising.
07:40 Go to work.

In XCL 2.1 development, I've cut out sleeping to get free time. I was tired by overnight efforts sometimes. I feel deep regret for what officially and privately were not good. It's impossible to do it now. Programers need 6h for sleeping to do their best.

However, I have to find a way. There is nothing in weekday. This could go on forever, if I don't do something to change.

The biggest problem is that I take pleasure in work.

How to export collision model in a free time project?

2008-02-17T10:04:00.007+09:00

In a free time project, how do you export collision models? I have run into this problem at cubson GUI Force development. Each designer who had joined to a project has different 3D tools from each other --- Maya, XSI, Max and Blender. Normally, to export collision models, programers have to develop a exporter plug-in. But, that's impossible in this case, because tools of designers are not unified. Programers could not buy all tools who is owned by each designer, for a free time project.

In cubson GUI Force, staff of the project exported the collision model as .X format. Programers parsed .X format, fetched vertexes and used those for hit and undulation. However, some of tools exported binary .X file, so programers had to make two kinds of the converter. In addition, .X format is flexible very much and was impossible to convert sometimes.

Then I have researched a better way and focused attention on COLLADA format. COLLADA is text base, XML format, easy to parse, and contains vertexes directly, unlike DXF. Designers need to convert collision models to polygon before. Especially, converted triangle polygon is useful as a collision model.

Here is an example in XSI Mod Tool 6. Choose File > Crosswalk > Export.

Choose "COLLADA 1.4.1" in Crosswalk Filetype. Input File name. Lastly click Export button.

Then, you may get dae file including clear geometry data. The following geometry data is exported from a primitive box.


  <library_geometries>
    <geometry id="geometries_0">
      <mesh>
        <source id="geometries_0-Pos">
          <float_array id="geometries_0-Pos-array" count="24">
            ......
          </float_array>
          <technique_common>
            <accessor source="#geometries_0-Pos-array" count="8" stride="3">
              ......
            </accessor>
          </technique_common>
        </source>
        <vertices id="geometries_0-Vtx">
          <input semantic="POSITION" source="#geometries_0-Pos"/>
        </vertices>
        <polylist count="6" material="Scene_Material">
          <input semantic="VERTEX" source="#geometries_0-Vtx" offset="0"/>
          <vcount>
            ......
          </vcount>
          <p>
            ......
          </p>
        </polylist>
      </mesh>
      <extra>
        <technique profile="XSI">
            <XSI_VertexList>
              <xsi_param sid="Attributes"> </xsi_param>
              <xsi_param sid="nbAttributes">8 </xsi_param>
              <xsi_param sid="position">0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7</xsi_param>
            </XSI_VertexList>
        </technique>
      </extra>
    </geometry>
  </library_geometries>

The geometry element contains vertecies and indecies. Souce elements contains positions of vertex.


<source id="geometries_0-Pos">
  <float_array id="geometries_0-Pos-array" count="24">
    -0.500000 -0.500000 -0.500000 
    0.500000 -0.500000 -0.500000 
    -0.500000 0.500000 -0.500000 
    0.500000 0.500000 -0.500000 
    -0.500000 -0.500000 0.500000 
    0.500000 -0.500000 0.500000 
    -0.500000 0.500000 0.500000 
    0.500000 0.500000 0.500000
  </float_array>
  <technique_common>
    <accessor source="#geometries_0-Pos-array" count="8" stride="3">
      <param name="X" type="float"/>
      <param name="Y" type="float"/>
      <param name="Z" type="float"/>
    </accessor>
  </technique_common>
</source>

Polylist elements contains count of face and indecies. I didn't divide a primitive box to triangle, so the faces of the following is 4 vertecies.


<polylist count="6" material="Scene_Material">
  <input semantic="VERTEX" source="#geometries_0-Vtx" offset="0"/>
  <vcount>
    4 4 4 4 
    4 4
  </vcount>
  <p>
    0 
    2 
    3 
    1 
    0 
    1 
    5 
    4 
    0 
    4 
    6 
    2 
    1 
    3 
    7 
    5 
    2 
    6 
    7 
    3 
    4 
    5 
    7 
    6
  </p>
</polylist>

So COLLADA is very simple file format, it's useful for free time project case in which we need to develop export plugin for many 3D tools. However, you may not export specific objects to COLLADA in some tools. That's inconvenient, because a game scene has both of geometry and collision normally. FBXConverter is able to convert FBX to COLLADA. If your tool can export specific objects to FBX, FBXConverter may be useful for your environment.