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New Theme By eGarage!
7:21:44 AM 4/29/2000
Just got an 'e' from Shawn with his latest them “Exposure969” attached :) This one is specifically designed to go with the latest pre-release versions .969\.970 of DarkStep, but is also fully backward-compatible! Nice job Shawn!!!
As always, you can find out more, view a screenshot and\or download Exposure969 over on the themes page... ENJOY!
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DarkStep 0.970PR1 Released!!!
5:15:55 AM 4/29/2000
Fahim has just release the first beta of version 0.970 as PR1 :) Here's an excerpt from the History.txt file:
* Fixed DarkStep crashing when run on top of Explorer
* Changed the API calls that gets a setting from the registry so that it will accept a default value
* Rewrote the COM stuff so that it would be compliant with the COM standards (Thanks Don Box and "Essential COM"! <g>)
* Fixed error messages when running the Import/Export options under Win9x
+ Added a COM event dispatcher to the !bang manager so that modules could receive notifications about events such as the execution of !bangs
+ Added a new !bang format which would take of the COM event dispatcher
* Changed the core !bangs to take advantage of the new event dispatcher
- Removed all the message handling from DarkStep.exe
+ Added a new message handler routine to the COM objects
* Consolidated all the different COM objects into one core COM manager
* Changed the file open dialogs used by the GUI config to remember the last opened directory for the current session
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NEW!!! Polling Started :)
8:20:43 AM 4\24\2000
I decided this morning that this site may as well join in the trend of having polls :) So, here we go!
This first poll is Part One of a series that I have planned that will hopefully help all of us to better understand precisely how, when and your reason(s) for switching themes :) The information gained here can help Fahim and DarkStep theme designers to better implement the shell itself and its dedicated themes :)
Of course themeing *is* a very large topic, so there is no intention here to try to cover *every* aspect; we just want to get a general idea of how you, the DarkStep user, chose and use themes with the shell... So here we go!
UPDATE!
Poll Results!
Themes - Part One: How Often Do You Change Themes (On Average)?
Several Times Per Day = 6%
Every Day = 0%
Once or Twice Per Week = 11%
A Couple of Times Per Month = 25%
I Usually Stick With the One That Works For Me = 54%
Default Theme = 0%
What's A Theme?!?!?! = 1%
Thanks to ALL who participated {:-)
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Trouble On The Western Front <VBG!>
6:59:55 AM 4\23\2000
Well gang, lightning has struck a defining blow this time <g>. As you may well know by now (else you probably wouldn't be here reading this :) our server bit the proverbial dust! It seems that the motherboard ate it and decided to take at least the drive and RAM along for the ride :( Truly a sad state of affairs...
Interestingly, and as noted below, we were about to loose the 'Net connection for that box anyway <g>; guess it was a very astute observation that someone made long ago when they said, “When it rains, it pours” :(
Acting swiftly (in typical Fahim style:), Fahim has already combined\moved the support and general mailing lists to eGroups :) You can also subscribe by simply sending a message to darkstep-subscribe@egroups.com; be sure to send the message from the email account to which you want to receive mail from the list though :) Fahim has also re-activated his original Developer Journal site, where he will be maintaining up-to-date downloads of beta versions of DarkStep and related modules.
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Our Server Must Move!
6:48 AM 4/16/2000
As they say, “all things must come to an end” <g>. Travis let us know a couple of weeks ago that the company that leases the T1 line that we are currently on needs for us to give up the connection by the end of this month (April), so a few of the guys are currently working madly to make other arrangements. I'm sure that it will all turn out for the best, but it *is* a little nurve-racking!
Stay tuned for more info on the move...
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I've Been Busy: So Shoot Me {:-)
6:40 AM 4/16/2000
The last couple of months have been *insanely* busy for me <g> and I *do* appologize for the lack of updated content on the site :( Hopefully things will be settling down a bit soon, so I can get back to the important schtuff! We hope to make some changes, updates and add some new content to the site over the next week or two so just keep checking back here for new schtuff :)
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DarkStep's Getting Popular!
6:29 AM 4/16/2000
Our favorite shell replacement is hitting the big time :) The shell is now listed on at least two major download sites - c|net and Superdownloads.com (Spanish content from Brazil)... Looks like we're gonna be needing that multi-lingual documentation quick! <he,he>
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There's A New Theme In Town!
6:32 AM 4/7/2000
Shawn Duncan has sent in his new theme entitled “AfterFall” and I must say, its lookin' real sweet! Check it out over in the Themes section :)
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NEW! DarkStep Tasbar Module :)
5:29 PM 3/16/2000
HOT! Fahim has just sent in the final release of DSTaskbar 1.0 :) Check out the docs and pick up your copy over to the right -->
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Important Scripting Information
11:45 AM 3/16/2000
I just realized that we haven't included much information about the methods exposed by the ActiveScripting engine built into DarkStep :-) Err ... let me go back and rephrase what sounds like gobbledegook to at least some of you <vbg>. What can you do with the ActiveScripting besides run a script written in jscript, Python or Perl? How can you use that script under DarkStep? How does the script interact with your DS enviornment? These are probably questions in your mind ...
Currently, there are two functions that you can use in any of your scriptlets that will interact with DarkStep directly. They are: shell.exec() and shell.write(). Basically, exec() allows you to run an application or an internal !bang command from a scriptlet and you can even execute multiple commands with arguments by separating each set of commands with a ^ as you'd normally do with something executed via the console. write() is used to display messages on the screen. You can find examples of both methods in the test.js file included with the 0.96 build of DarkStep.
Fahim
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NEW BUILD :)
4:19 AM 3/16/2000
Fahim has released build .96 of DarkStep! Check out all of the new schtuff in the readme file, and grab your copy from the menu to the right :)
PLEASE NOTE: It is important that you *only* use the LiteStep core modules from 0.24.5 or so and *not* try to upgrade to the newer builds. LiteStep core code is currently going through some changes that will not be compatible with DarkStep; at least not at this point... Thank you :)
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New Theme Preview :)
11:30 AM 3/8/00
There's a new theme preview\screen shot up over in the themes section! Go take a peek :)
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Well, S**T!
8:56 AM 2/23/00
I have to seriously appologize for my lack of presence for support via the new HumanClick support system <g>. It has become obvious that RealLife™ has no intentions *whatsoever* of letting me stay here and attend to the important schtuff!
However, I'm not giving up! I'll continue to run the test program at *least* until the end of February, at which time I will review how useful it actually is :) I must say at this point though, there doesn't appear to be a lot of interest from the support end of things <g>. In fact, the only way I can tell that the DarkStep General mailing list is even working is that the request that I sent out (for votep.com?Subject=Apology">Bob
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There's A New Port In Town!
4:14 AM 2/22/00
Milto just sent in a new DarkStep port that he has just finished up of the DarkZone theme! Check it out over in the themes section :)
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New Site Link!
7:59 PM 2/20/00
Guess I've been kind of asleep at the wheel <g>, but I just read about (and visited :) another DarkStep related site on the DS Webboard. It looks like SuS has most of the DarkStep documentation translated to Dutch and posted on his site at http://www.skywaysun.com/Darkstep/! Nice site SuS :) Keep up the good work!
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More Support Information
7:48 AM 2/19/00
Here's a little more information on the “HumanClick” link to the left...
Site vistors can now simply click on the HumanClick icon to launch a Java chat session in a new browser window to get additional, live support for DarkStep! I'm currently testing the functionality of this addition and, should it prove to be a valuable resource, will see what we can come up with for our own (DarkStep.com) version that will look a bit better and (hopefully) run faster :)
For now I am the only “Operator” (HumanClick terminology:) available, and *that* is VERY infrequent <g> so, if any of you *experienced* DarkStep users would like to help out with this support test program feel free(!) to contact me directly :) All that is needed is to download the HumanClick application then insert the “Operator” information that I will provide you with; I believe we can have up to six HumanClick Operators registered at any given time :) Added benefit: You get to see some real-time stats on the DS site :)
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New Theme Preview!
7:32 AM 2/18/00
There's a new pic over on the ScreenShotz page of a theme that MILTO has been working on, DarkStep Zone! Looks *very* promising :)
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Trying Out A Few New Things...
6:27 AM 2/18/00
Got a couple of new things that we're trying out on the site :)
First off (and probably the most obvious:) is the linked image in the Links column for HumanClicks. everyone can use this to immediately launch a chat session with me (if I'm at the system and on-line (g)) if they need help with anything on the site...
Second, I've agreed to help with beta testing a new site update application called WebLogue that is being developed by David Kirk.
And last but not least, we have the beginning of a new page\section on DarkStep-specific step.rc settings that will hopefully help those of you that are new to DarkStep to get started.
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New Section Under Construction
14/2/2000 at 18:40
You may have noticed a new addition to the site menu (above) :) While the page is still under construction <g>, it currently contains most of the information that is specific to DarkStep's step.rc file; though a working knowledge of a Windows based step.rc is still assumed...
At present the page will hopefully be of some help to those of you who are currently using step.rc based Windows shell replacement(s) to migrate your existing configuration over to DarkStep...
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Site Status Report
3/Feb/2000 at 08:47:06
Things are progressing well with the new server set up :) Travis now has basic personal email running once again <WOOHOO!>, AND has the support, general and private beta testers' mailing lists up-'n-runnin' {:-) This guy just doesn't quit (fortunately for all of us <yikes!>)!
DarkStep.com will also be hosting a couple of other DarkStep-related sites very soon, but more on that once they're set up...
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NEW RELEASES!
24/1/2000 at 05:08
We have new stuff from Fahim! DarkStep version .950 is out, along with a new, dedicated DSSysVWM module! Grab them from the download section to the right and\or read all about the changes to DarkStep :)
Here's what Fahim had to say about these new releases:
"I have got several reports about mem leaks in this version (and Kuhndog
reports that recycling five times crashes this build too ..) but I can't
seem to duplicate these problems on my machine and so any and all
information that anybody can provide will be much appreciated in sorting
this out. Please put this warning up along with this build :-) I am
releasing it anyway as it has been a long time since the last build and a
lot of stuff has piled up into one release. If I can isolate the leaks
soon, I will release another build to fix it.
SysVWM now is a full native DS module with config info going in a section
of it's own (obviously [SysVWM]) and I did do some more fixes and
improvements... but there are no new features (except for the version reporting)
and so everything should still work with the old documentation..."
So there you have it! Enjoy {:-)
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