Build 03 fixes a whole bunch of bugs, including the log-off bug and various UAC-related issues. It also adds the ability to add software to the All Users area and support for PAD files, as well as a little UI fit-and-finish.
Software Updater home page
Software Updater download page
Build 03 Home Page
Build 03 Changelog
Updated 26/09/2012 and 14/07/2013 to fix broken links.
If you haven’t already heard, I’ve just released a new build of Project Nelson. There are quite a few new features, a few programs got a UI cleanup, and there’s a whole lot of bugs fixed and fit and finish added.
Oh, and check out the Readme for any bugs or problems that I’m aware of that you should look out for.
Project Nelson home page
Project Nelson download page
Build 020 Changelog
Build 020 Readme
Updated 26/09/2012 and 14/07/2013 to fix broken links.
Oh boy, is this late! ^^;
This is a minor build (mainly a backend rework, not much user visible stuff.) Basically, the UI no longer locks up when a comic is loading.
If you encounter any bugs, submit them to http://www.markkb.com/stuff/bugs/ and I’ll see what I can do about them.
Oh, the comic in the screenshot is the awesome El Goonish Shive. Check it out, won’t you?
Comic Strip home page
Comic Strip download page
Build 09 home page
Updated 26/09/2012 and 14/07/2013 to fix broken links.
OK, basically I’ve just remembered there’s a bunch of stuff I forgot to upload! ^^;
So, anyway…
Corkboard 1.0 Build 03 
For those who don’t know what Corkboard is, the way I envisioned it is a digital version of your fridge or (yes) corkboard – reminders, phone numbers, schedules ect. I plan to also include messaging, calendar/scheduling and gaming capabilities, but for now we just hove post-it style notes.
This build basically fixes a bunch of bugs, including a few to do with Vista, and also allows deleting notes.
Corkboard home page
Corkboard download page
Build 03 readme
Build 03 changelog
Gibraltar 1.0 Build 05
Gibraltar is an easily configurable and flexible installer – in fact, I use it for all my programs.
It originally started life as Project Nelson’s setup program, but I thought it’d be much better as a general-purpose installer.
Build 05 fixes some bugs, and also outputs a log file, which is viewable by using the /d command line switch.
Gibraltar home page
Gibraltar download page
Build 05 readme
Build 05 changelog
I also hope to release Comic Strip 1.0 Build 09 within the week.
--MarkKB
Updated 26/09/2012 and 14/07/2013 to fix broken links.
Another day, another build of Comic Strip. Ah.
The main change between this and the previous version is that it can extract the comic location from files given the right parameters. I also added some advanced options to the Add/Edit Comic dialog, so you don’t have to edit your comic list manually to add them. Lastly, I fixed the Author Notes problem present in the last build.
Be warned that the program will seem unresponsive when traversing long periods of time, or when downloading comics, so it’s not recommended for a slow internet connection. Also, remember to back up your comic list before installing because it will be reset when you install.
So, try out The Wotch and El Goonish Shive (the two example comics that use location extraction) and send any bugs to my email address (markkeyb@gmail.com).
Comic Strip home page
Comic Strip download page
Build 08 home page
Updated 26/09/2012 and 14/07/2013 to fix broken links.
OK, this is a little late (due mainly to my procrastination ;) ), but no worries, here it is! Project Nelson 1.0 Build 019 introduces a few new features, fixes quite a few bugs, and polishes up some places which needed it.
Project Nelson home page
Project Nelson download page
Build 019 Changelog
Build 019 Readme
Updated 26/09/2012 and 14/07/2013 to fix broken links.
As promised, here’s Comic Strip 1.0 Build 07! This build has a bug in the way it handles author comments, but apart from that, it should be OK.
The main reason I want to get it out there is to test the new prev-next comic buttons, so hit Count Your Sheep and start clicking away!
Comic Strip home page
Comic Strip download page
Build 07 Changelog
Updated 26/09/2012 and 14/07/2013 to fix broken links.
Hey guys! Just dropping a note to say that Project Nelson 1.0 Build 019 is complete as of April 14 2009. I’ve already finished the changelog, and just need to fill out the readme. I plan to release it by Monday at the earliest.
(I’m already well into developing Build 020, and I’ll try to have it out quite a bit sooner than the Build 019. :D)
Comic Strip 1.0 Build 07 is also done, and I hope to release it by the end of the day. Remember, these are estimates, and not hard-and-fast dates.
Happy testing!
In this post, I’m going to shed some light on the state of Project Nelson going forward, as well as some insight on its past.
In the past, Project Nelson advanced a build when it was “done” – when I felt it had enough about it to warrant a new build. This method worked for my methods, if it was a bit haphazard. Every build had a few bug fixes and new features, and so on and so forth.
The first real break in the cycle was Build 017. Build 017 was a “features” build – that is, it focused on features, as opposed to bug fixes. It finally introduced Category pages, something that had been planned since the first few .NET-based builds. It also added hidden Run boxes in the Applications page, and Application “views” (Categories/Classic Start/Recent). The First Run Wizard was heavily rewritten, and Nemo’s favourite folders feature was implemented. Build 017 also featured the first build of MediaPN.
Build 018 was the first build that intentionally focused on features, as Build 017 being one was kinda just a fluke. With Build 18 came application task pages, a semi-functioning Games page, a stopwatch, “Windows” vs. “Project Nelson” icons, a seek bar and metadata about the currently playing song in MediaPN, New File in Nemo, command-line arguments, SchedulePN, Nemo settings, and starting your default media player at startup. The First Run Wizard lay the backbone for the new way of handling applications in each group.
Right now, I’m working on Project Nelson 1.0 Build 019. Build 019 is a “bug fixing” or “fit and finish” build – it’s not going to be a big bang release, although there are some new features. Rather, it’s focusing on polishing the user experience, and fixing annoying bugs.
I hope to release Build 019 sometime in the next two months.
Going forward, I plan to adhere to a kind of back-and-forth schedule, with even-numbered builds being feature or “unstable” releases, and odd-numbered builds being bug-fixing or “stable” builds. (That’s not to say that they don’t have bugs in them, btw, it’s just that I’m devoting the build to fixing them.) I have quite a few ideas for the future of Project Nelson, such as the new file copying system, as well as building on the program modal implemented in Build 018, and a new taskbar system.
The next few years are waiting, and I hope they’ll be just as exciting as the previous ones.
--MarkKB
After all the time, effort and procrastination, Project Nelson v1.0 Build 018 is finally now available for download from my website!
A note: this build is kinda buggy, so you should only install it if you know what you’re doing. Reading the readme (release notes) might help as well, as it contains information about known bugs and how to get around them. (The readme is the main reason it took me three months from freezing development to actual release… but that’s a whole ‘nother story.)
So, anyway, here it is, so enjoy!
Project Nelson home page
Project Nelson download page
Changelog
Readme
Updated 26/09/2012 and 14/07/2013 to fix broken links.
In "We're geeks bearing gifts...", I posted that I was just putting the finishing touches on Project Nelson 1.0 Build 18. But that was over a month ago. So you might be wondering, what gives?
Well, the truth is, it's already finished.
In fact, it's been finished for quite a while now. After a few last-minute bugs that postponed me finishing it for about two weeks (while I found them, fixed them, and found some more to fix, and so on), I finally froze[1] development on Project Nelson 1.0 Build 18 on the 16th of April 2008 at around 6:30pm. So, what's with the holdup?
Firstly, I've been working on the setup routine. In fact, all the installation stuff is finished, as of about Tuesday (the 29th of April). On Wednesday, I went through and reworded much of the text throughout the setup program. I also slightly revised the EULA[2] a bit. All done, right?
Well, almost. The good news is that all I really need to do is finish off my rewording/reorganisation of the changelog[3] and do the readme[4] and I'll be done. (In the case of the changelog, I've been hastily compiling the list of changes for Builds 16-18 these past few days, and the changes for previous builds earlier this year, and later the last. It's all rather disorganised, (but then again, that's me), so now I'm trying to make it a bit more digestible.)
Since it's almost finished, I hope to put the whole kaboodle on my website in the next few days. I'll see you all when it gets there.
--MarkKB
Footnotes (for those less technically inclined):
[1] To freeze development is to stop making changes to code, and usually to compile a final build (turn it from code to a living, breathing program.)
[2] The EULA is the End User License Agreement, a contract between the software provider and the user that determines terms of use of the product. It's that thing you mindlessly click "I Agree" to when you install software. EULAs for websites are known as "Terms and Conditions of Use".
[3] A changelog is a document detailing the changes that have taken place between versions. Well, at least, mine are. ;) Properly, in the open-source world, a changelog details every minute revision with dates and names; non-open-source software uses versions instead of dates, and only mentions major changes or those that are noticeable to the user. The non-open-source changelog is roughly analogous to the "NEWS" file in open-source.
[4] Readmes contain last-minute details that couldn't go into the documentation in time, information that wouldn't really fit in the documentation, and sometimes just general notes. Yays.
As I type, I'm just ironing out a few final things before I release Project Nelson 1.0 Build 18, as a public beta, on my website. Since I haven't really talked about it much on my blog, let me introduce it to you guys.
Project Nelson is a shell[1] for Windows and a suite of accessories. It's based on a task-based view, rather than applications-based. That is, programs are organised by type, rather than name. (The picture on the right is of the Applications page.) It also comes with several utilities, such as a file browser, address book, and scheduler.
I've been working on Project Nelson for near-on three years, so it feels quite satisfying to be so close to putting it out there. (That said, it's only a beta, y'know. There's a lot more stuff to be done.)
My focus on this build was fixing long-running bugs; however, some important new stuff was introduced as well. There are some things that don't do anything when you click on them, somewhat like a fake door - they're there for completeness, but the stuff behind it isn't implemented yet.
For the curious, the Project Nelson home page has a few more answers on the matter.
So, here's hoping for a few brave souls beta testers and better productivity for all. Woot!
--MarkKB
[1] A "shell" is a way of interacting with your computer, a program with which you start other programs, so to speak. Historically speaking, Windows 3.1's Program Manager was a shell. The default shell for the current incarnation of Windows, consisting of the start menu, taskbar and desktop, is managed by Windows Explorer.
Updated 26/09/2012 and 14/07/2013 to fix broken links.
