Intiially this story was to have been posted before our server move, so bear with the massive time-shift. :D Here goes...

Despite the summer heat, it seems some developers have kept plugging away at new applications.

I thought I would take some time to review some of the notable entries in the past week that have been published to BeBits, and why I feel they are worthy of mentioning.

• First up, a new SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) Icon Set by professional designer zuMi... This icon set blew me away in how clean and refined every icon looks, and will really make your desktop environment look quite impressive. Among the entries shown on the screenshots page are completely redone Tracker, Terminal, and Trash icons, added as of July 29th. In total there are 140 SVG icons comprised of navigation, filetype, preference panel and "fun" icons for your viewing pleasure.


• LaunchBox is an application launcher similar to LaunchPad, for those of you that want yet another sidebar app launcher. However, there are some interesting new features. Stippi says, "The pad windows are more resistent to resolution changes, icons can be given a discription (tool tip), and the fake tab implementation is more complete (right mouse click sends tab window to the back)." My take: I see it as a good thing that developers are taking the time to create neat little apps like this, as they will definately be useful to people who like to trick out their environment/system/desktops, etc.


• Hatari is an Atari ST emulator, recently updated and optimized with a host of bug fixes. Most noteworthy about this release is the fact that the old font has been replaced by two new fonts so that the GUI now looks better in high resolutions. This app was posted by our good pal, GoodOldGames, from BeEmulated.net... My take: With the plethora of emulators already present and working well in Haiku/BeOS, this updated entry only helps provide yet another reason to give BeOS/Haiku a whirl. It would almost be like we are the emulator-lover OS of choice. Surely another good reason.


• Jon Pimble added a PCX Translator add-on to allow use of PCX images in translator-aware Haiku/BeOS applications. Writing is not supported, (at least when I installed and tried it), but this version does support uncompressed input data, and there has been a substantial speed increase with this release, at the cost of a little extra memory. My take: As I already noted above, these are the kinds of projects that seem mundane at first, until one realizes that in order to make use of your machine, you are usually doing mundane things, and looking for solutions to mundane problems. :) Its the little things, I guess. I am glad Jon wrote this translator, and hope he continues with other mundane projects too.

Just a few updates from last week, but I felt they were important enough to let you know, and why. If we are to prosper as a whole, we have to start thinking about the little things that normally seem unexciting, mundane, and boring. When I go visit BeBits, I look forward to seeing what is new, on a daily basis, and have felt that way for years, despite the lack of improvements to the BeOS of old.

For our new Haiku, I feel this trend will pick up in speed and depth, broaden our range of notable features, flesh it out in ways we have not yet realized, and generally make it into a worthy contender in the OS market. Carpe Diem, and all that. :D

An idea request I have been harbouring for some time now... If there is anyone out there willing to compile a monthly Hot BeBits Report for us, we would welcome that submission and publish it. Highlighting the hot and new over at BeBits is yet another way to tie together our small but growing community. Any takers?