TkDesk News

April 15, 2004

TkDesk release 2.0, code name "Lazarus," is now available for download.

Please keep in mind that the primary focus of this release was to provide Tcl/Tk 8.4 compatibility, as opposed to fixing bugs and adding features. If you have submitted bugs against release 1.2, do not be shocked if they have not been fixed. However, the overall goal of the 2.x set of releases will be to fix existing bugs, clean up the code, and generally prepare for major functionality improvements in later releases.

That being said, there were some new features, fixes, etc., included with this release:

Release 2.0 Highlights

Tcl/Tk 8.4 compatibility
See the INSTALL file for detailed release requirements.
Dropped support for Tcl/Tk 7.x.
Mouse-wheel support
Most text boxes and the file listings are now mouse-wheel enabled. The usage details haven't made it into the documentation yet, so here's the quick summary:
- Your X11 server needs to be configured for mouse-wheel support.
- The mouse wheel scrolls 5 lines at a time by default
- Shift + the mouse wheel scrolls 1 line at a time
- Ctrl + the mouse wheel scrolls 1 page at a time
Select two files, press a button, get a diff!
This works great in conjunction with tkDiff. The diff command used can be configured in your .tkdesk/System file. The default "diff" button (on the button bar) is a picture of two overlapped pages.
Improved (hopefully) configure script
New TkDesk logo

There are no plans at this time to provide pre-compiled packages for this release. (Volunteers?)

Please relate any problems (or successes!) installing this release to the tkdesk-users mailing list (subscription info).

It has been over three years since the last release of TkDesk. Rather than dwell on the reasons for the hiatus, suffice it to say that TkDesk has refused to die. This is evidenced not just from the almost continuous stream of emails reporting bugs and bitching about the lack of new releases... :-) but from the number of emails praising TkDesk as well. At a time when development of modern feature-full file managers is rampant, the fact that users continue to speak so highly of TkDesk is a credit to the original design and implementation, and a positive indicator of TkDesk's potential.

We hope you find TkDesk useful, and should you be interesting in contributing to the project please visit the developers page for more information.

March 10, 2004

Though nobody will believe this, the fact is that TkDesk 2.0 is currently under active development, loosely following the published roadmap. There is no set release date as yet (of course), but it is coming. Honest.

No, really...

I mean it...

Stop laughing at me...

November 3, 2003

We have received word (thanks, Maik!) that Herr Bolik is still lurking around - fantastic news. Anyway, everyone can stop turning over those rocks now. Thanks.

August 1, 2001

The TkDesk homepage has been redesigned!

If notice any bad links, bad grammer, bad spelling, bad design, or just plain bad taste, please let me know at JChris@znet.com.

Thank you.

-- J. Chris Coppick