News
 

March 17th, 2004.

    Uploaded new versions of NodeScan Server and Client for Mac OS. Unfortunatley, due to the lack of support on the Mac OS for Java 2, the Jukebox service will not work.

March 15th, 2004.

    We uploaded new versions for Mac OS X and Linux. Most changes were to NodeScan Server which now includes web (http) and jukebox services. Some improvements were made to the Audio Player on NodeScan Client. These versions will expire at the end of June, 2004. Windows and Mac OS versions will be uploaded in a day or two.

December 17th, 2003.

    We have uploaded replacement versions of the current releases with extended expiry dates. We apologise for the lack of progress since the last beta release. We have been working on a number of things however they were not completed in time. With the currrent builds in an unstable state, we decided to extend the release dates of the latest versions until the end of January 2004.

August 18th, 2003.

    We uploaded the 1.0b16 Windows and Linux updates. NodeScan runs very well on Red Hat 9.0 though launching the application still requires using a terminal window. We hope to have shell script to launch the apps in time for the next release. As always your comments are welcome.

August 15th, 2003.

    On August 8th, we released version 1.0b16 of NodeScan Client and Server for Mac OS X. A week later we uploaded the Mac OS versions after making a few minor fixes that didn't make it into the Mac OS X release. We are now testing and making final preparations for the release of Windows and Linux updates. They should be available in a few days. We also added an FAQ page including some advice about how to set up NodeScan for streaming audio. We are also collecting screen shots showing NodeScan running on various platforms and showing new features and performance.

May 12th, 2003.

    On May 10th, 10 days behind schedule, we released version 1.0b15 of NodeScan Client and Server. This is a was a large update with Instant Messaging support added - as promised. The new versions have been very well received and no major problems have arizen, though there are definitely a lot if issues and improvements which need to be made before the final release. If you haven't downloaded the latest release get it now and try it out.

Major changes and improvements:

NodeScan Client

  • Added support for Instant messaging based on the Jabber protocol, including sending file and URL attachments
  • Improved drag and drop support (esp. on Mac OS and Mac OS X platforms)
  • Improved ease of connection by the addition of user-definable accounts
  • Added welcome screen 'wizard' to help with initial account configuration
  • Removed the Registration window that used to appear the first time a user uploaded a file
  • Improved layout and appearance of Sharing window
  • Many other minor bug fixes and improvements

    NodeScan Server

  • Added Instant Messaging Service (plugin)
  • Added support for dynamic domains

    February 4th, 2003.

        Today marks the release of Version 1.0b14 of NodeScan Client and Server. This is a milestone release in a number of ways. Firstly it brings the Linux and Windows versions up to par with the Mac OS and Mac OS X versions. Apart from Audio Streaming, which is not supported on the Mac OS platform, all versions are consistent in features and usability. Secondly, and somewhat related to the first point, both NodeScan Server and Client for all platforms are now built on top of the same code base.

        For most of the past year the development of new features has taken a back seat to redesign and bug fixes. This work is now almost complete. Although no new features or applications have been announced to date, work has been proceeding behind the scenes. Here are a few things which are on the horizon:

  • Instant Messaging.We have developed a preliminary implementation of an Instant Messaging service based on the Jabber protocol. This service and an associated NodeScan Client plugin should be available by the time of the next release.

  • NodeScan Server Remote Administration application. This application is currently in development and is being tested internally.

  • The NodeScan Application SDK (Software Development Kit). In the near future we plan to release the NodeScan API as a separate product for Java developers. The API provides an extensible application shell with built in GUI components, such as menus and panels, as well as application level services such as runtime localization, network protocols, logging, encryption and preferences management. This will not be a GUI based Rapid Application Development tool and will require some programming knowledge. It will however relieve developers of the tedious task of creating the basic, but essential, features of a desktop application and allow them to concentrate their efforts on the parts of their program which are interesting and unique.

  • Other developments. Support for Apple's "Rendezvouz" (Zero-Config) protocol is obviously something we are working on implementing. In addition it is time to start looking past desktop/server platforms to mobile devices. We will continue to extend and improve the localization capability and add support for additional languages (including Asian languages such as Japanese, Korean and Chinese).

    • One last thing... Happy birthday to our lead (and only) programmer. Maybe we'll give him a day off, or at least let him crawl into bed before 3 am... maybe...

        So stick along for the ride and we'll see where we end up. Send us your bugs (no not real, live ones) or just email us to let us know what you think, like, hate etc. We'll try our best to reply and implement your suggestions as far and as quickly as we are able.

    Hasta luego,

    The NodeScan team