We have posted an experimental 0.25.0 Alpha "nightly" build. This is the first LiteStep build to include support for Windows Vista and 64-Bit Windows. You can find it in our Downloads section. Look for the "2009-01-08" build.

A changelog is included. Note that this is not a 0.24.8 build but experimental code. We hope to post "nightlies" a little more often from now on.

— ilmcuts, 2009/01/07 16:54

Anonymous CVS access does not currently work. It got lost during our server move. We're working on a solution and will keep you posted.

In the meantime, you can stay on the cutting edge by downloading the source tarball from our CVS browser interface. Note that the 0.24.8 code is in a separate branch (v0-24-x) that you can switch to using the "Sticky Tag" dropdown menu once you've browsed to the "litestep" module. Alternatively, click here.

— ilmcuts, 2009/01/02 06:36

Your friendly LiteStep Development Team is proud to announce the first release of LiteStep 0.24.8 as Release Candidate 1. This release reflects two and a half years of (intermittent) development and +8636/-3301 lines changed in the source code.

Please note that contrary to our last State of the Step post, 32bit Vista is NOT (and will not be) supported in this release cycle. This release contains none of the Vista compatibility changes that exist in CVS. Vista support will be (developer availability depending) in the next release cycle. If you want better Vista support then skip this release, and build your own off of HEAD in CVS.

• New evaluation parser
  With the evaluation parser, both conditional expressions (If, ElseIf) and in-line expressions ($a + b$) now use the same syntax. The new parser also adds some new capabilities that were previously unavailable such as strings and built-in functions.
  
  The new syntax should be backwards compatible with existing files, but this is new code and there are bound to be bugs. So, we're needing users to try out the new code and report bugs back to us. Also be sure to try out some of the new features and provide feedback on those as well. The new syntax is documented in the "release_notes.txt" file.

• Appbar support
  We have added an implementation to support AppBars. This is a feature found in the Explorer shell which some applications use to dock their window to the edge of a screen (e.g. the Explorer taskbar). Some typical applications that use this feature are Trillian and various media players.
  
  This also adds support for WorkArea updates when an Appbar is positioned or removed. Please test the interaction between AppBars adjusting the WorkArea and the Desktop modules adjusting the WorkArea. Hopefully they will interact nicely. What you should expect, is if the desktop module has changed the WorkArea for a specific screen edge, then any Appbar placed on the same screen edge will be positioned so that it does not overlap the old WorkArea. This implementation appears to work in practice in the limited testing we were able to do. Please let us know if you find any odd or undesirable behavior in regards to the WorkArea and AppBars.

• Icon notification tray (systray) service fixes
  The Icon Notification Tray service has been updated to fix several issues. The most visible one being where old icons and sometimes balloon (info) tips would appear during a recycle. Please verify that all expected functionality still works.

• Added checks for recursively defined variables to VarExpansionEx.

• Removed !gather bang command proxy for VWM modules (all current VWM modules now implement that function internally).

• Improvements to LSAutoHideModules.

Thanks to the LiteStep Community for all the positive feedback and support and for the endless patience. Once again it has taken a long time, but LiteStep 0.24.8 is finally on its way.

If you upgrade to this version from 0.24.7 Final, and *anything* breaks, please let us know. We intend for 0.24.8 to be drop-in-compatible with all existing valid configurations.

Please send any suggestions or bug reports to the LSDev team contact address at: devteam <at> lsdev.org

When reporting a bug, please include:
(use the !About dialog to retrieve version information)

1. LiteStep Core Version (including exact "Compiled on…" string as defined by $CompileDate$)
2. All currently loaded modules and their versions
3. Theme name and version (if applicable)
4. Your contact information (email address)
5. A complete description of the issue and if possible a step-by-step procedure to reproduce the bug. If we can not reproduce the bug, we will not be able to fix it! So, please do your best to help us help you. Thanks!

Happy LiteStepping,

The LiteStep Development Team
http://www.lsdev.org/

Dear LiteSteppers,

When you least expect it… an update from your friendly LiteStep Development Team:

Welcome to the April 2008 edition of the State of the Step!

On the agenda this time:

• The Development Team
• LiteStep vs. Litestep
• LiteStep 0.24.8
• Windows Vista
• In Closing…

Go!

A(nother) new lineup

Development at a snail's pace… and that's being nice. jugg and I (ilmcuts) have been working on the core on and off, but that's hardly enough to fulfill the expectations. Thus we went out recruiting people. Of the several people we contacted, we are proud to announce that three have accepted the offer. Welcome, Acidfire, Tobbe, and Xjill!

This means the devteam now is:

• Acidfire
• ilmcuts
• jugg
• Tobbe
• Xjill

Even with the new lineup it will be very hard to follow through with everything we need and would like to do. We're trying our best but very much want and need any help we can get. We hope that others we have talked to will decide to work with us as well. If you are interested in being part of the team, please let us know!

We have also revived our contact mail address. You can now reach the LS Development Team by writing to: devteam at lsdev.org.

The ongoing, never ending debate. Well, we hope to "officially" end it once and for all. We will be deciding on the LSDev Team official capitalization of LiteSTEP before the next release. So, if you have any heart felt comments to add to the discussion now is the time do so.

While we may have been quiet in terms of even experimental releases, our CVS history reveals "+8946/-3915 lines changed" since June 01, 2007. Note that this number includes documentation changes or copyright date changes too. The change history since 0.24.7 is "+14949/-7705 lines changed".

Unfortunately, the release of 0.24.8 has been held up. However, unless you are on Vista, the experimental builds contain much of what is going to be in the final. What is the problem, then? While we are no longer striving for full Vista compatibility in this particular release (more on that below), there are a couple of bugs that are just not acceptable in a release. Missing volume controls may just barely be acceptable, but broken startup applications or LiteStep crashing on startup is not.

Since the last experimental build, which contained the new math parser, for example, we have continued to work on AppBar support, made sure that Explorer will run if you boot into safe mode(*), have fixed numerous small bugs, and some more, besides all the Vista changes. We're looking at getting out a Beta release which will have all that but will not yet have fixes for all known Vista issues. If we can't find the time to do a proper Beta we will at least be posting another experimental build. If you can't wait for that you're free to compile your own "nightly" builds! Feel free to ask us for support if you need help doing that.

(*) We are starting Explorer in safe mode because you might be trying to fix a broken LiteStep by going there. Lots of beginners use it when they get scared after installing LiteStep and want to remove it again.

In case there is any confusion, we're trying to make the usual 32-Bit LiteStep work on both 32-Bit and 64-Bit Vista. While a 64-Bit LiteStep has been compiled, it shares almost all problems of the 32-Bit version and offers little in return. On top of that, it requires rebuilt modules. So our focus for the foreseeable future will be on 32-Bit LiteStep.

While LiteStep does somewhat work on Windows Vista as is, there are several problems. For example, the welcome screen delay is back. Some startup apps are being run twice, some not at all. Tray tooltips are broken and some tray icons like the volume icon don't appear at all. LiteStep no longer detects if Explorer has already run startup apps and vice versa. Some system sounds aren't being played. The wallpaper isn't always shown, all you get is a black desktop. Etc. etc.

Unfortunately, for each issue that we fix another one or two are uncovered. Trying to fix them all would hold up the release indefinitely. But we're looking at fixing the worst of the issues. In fact, except for the missing icons, we believe we can fix all of the above. Given the history, however, it wouldn't surprise us if one or two fixes didn't work out in the end.

Still, LiteStep 0.24.8 should be usable on Vista. Maybe not the Betas, but the final release should.

This marks the end of this State of the Step. If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to respond via the LSML, IRC¹⁾, or our contact mail²⁾. We will be happy to talk to you.

Happy LiteStepping,

- The LiteStep Development Team

We are working towards getting LiteStep 0.24.8 released. You can follow the development progress and what is left to complete before the 0.24.8 release with this Roadmap of sorts.

We would also enjoy being able to have ready the SDK Turtorial, User Documentation and general lsdev.org website cleanup. But we need your help. Please join us on IRC in #lsdev or on the Developer Mailing List.

We are especially looking for graphic artists, web designers and documentation/ promotional writers. Everyone is welcome to help!